


World Wanderer | Spade

by FactoryManager



Series: World Wanderer | Volume 2 [2]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Abduction, Canon Non-Binary Character, Dragons, Editing help wanted, Fantasy, Forced Labor, Freeform, Gambling, Gen, Magic, Minor Character Death, No Beta, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Science Fiction, casino - Freeform, world wanderer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FactoryManager/pseuds/FactoryManager
Summary: Lucky Coin is a casino the size of a large neighborhood. It is a place filled to the brim with dazzling lights, ongoing stage shows, endless buffets, high-quality restaurants, and countless gambling rooms. All forms of gambling are available and accessible in Lucky Coin. But as all things are, there is a price to play.Life in Recall isn't easy. The training is harsh, there's little personal time or space, and many unfamiliar faces to get used to. Expectations are high for Sol's group and it is about to get worse when they find themselves on an assignment to explore a new area. Recall as been there plenty of times before, but that doesn't make it safe. Now that the core is close to unleashing its power there is no telling what is waiting for them. Or who.
Series: World Wanderer | Volume 2 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019769
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

A high buzz echoed through the small metal room. Even after nearly two weeks of being here the noise still startled me. It might have scared me more if I’d actually been asleep when it sounded. I rolled onto my side and the wiry frame of the bed creaked. The mattress was too thin. It has somehow managed to be worse than my bed in Goldsboro.

The room I had been given was small, with barely enough space to fit the bed let alone walk around it. I didn’t have a dresser, just a metal truck that was pushed off to one side. Sometimes I would use it as a table. Like nearly everything on the Train, the walls were made of metal. It was an old bronze color with rusted black spots all over. Behind them, something knocked constantly.

If that didn’t make it hard enough to sleep, there was the heat. It was either a dry heat that would make everything too hot to touch without gloves. Or the humidity that made it difficult to breathe if I exerted myself even the smallest amount. Water was fashioned here, like every other supply. Food, clean clothes, showers, free time; everything here was spaced out carefully.

I always found myself wishing that I could hide in my library. The only reason I didn’t was that it would be unfair to Ninety-one and Zero-zero. They were stuck dealing with this without any escape, so I would too.

Life here wasn’t bad. The food wasn’t always the best and I hadn’t exactly attempted to make any friends, but it was fine. I spent most of my time cleaning various places on the Train. On every other day, go down to the small gym for combat training, which is where I had to be today.

I sat up and turned on the light to the room. It was a single light fixture that sat in the middle of the ceiling. It cast everything in a yellow-white glow. Hue hissed in sleepy anger as the harsh bright lights woke him. He pushed his head under the singular to block out the light. I wished I could do the same.

Resolving myself to once again leave the tiny room, I knelt down and opened the trunk. I took out a set of clothes and toiletries. I didn’t have a lot in the space in the trunk for anything other than close in a few books. Everything else I had to leave hidden in the library.

Tucking my things under my arm, I pushed open the heavy door to the room. It groaned and creaked as it slid over the floor, grinding over the already worn path. The door opened up into a hallway lined with similar doors. Some were still shut, others had people emerging from them.

I was starting to recognize a few of the people I shared this hallway with. Not by name, only their faces. A few of them greeted me as they passed, most were too tired to even pass me a glance. I always found myself preferring the ones that didn’t acknowledge me.

I turned off the light before pushing the door close. I kept my head down and followed the flow of the crowd to one of the many communal bathrooms. There were three main ones on this side of the second floor of the Train; men's, women’s, and the one that people used when the other two got too full. Ironically the third one normally got full first given that it was the closest to sleeping quarters.

I preferred to use the women’s mostly because the men’s got loud when the occupants started to wake up. The showers always ran hot, but that didn’t wake me up nearly as harshly as someone in the next shower over a laugh at a joke his friend shouted at him. The women’s always seemed to be cleaner as well. When walking around barefoot to get to the closed showering area, little things like that mattered.

After getting washed everyone dumped their clothes in a large metal container that acted as a group hamper. At the end of the day, everyone’s clothes would be washed and waiting in the laundry room. Not taking someone else’s clothes was more of a courtesy than a spoken rule considering both Zero-zero and Clay had lost several shirts already. Another reason I preferred the women’s, I usually got all my clothes back. There wasn’t any type of uniform that people needed to wear, so I didn’t understand how people could mistakenly take someone else’s clothes, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

I dropped my toothbrush and things back in my room. Turning on the light again, I pulled Hue from under the bed. He growled half-heartedly at me as I rubbed his back. It was the easiest way to wake him up without him being upset afterward. Once he had finally woken up, I had him turn into a cat.

Vincent has said that we would keep the fact that Hue was a dragon as a secret. But with the floor normally being too hot for him to walk up, I had to settle for something smaller than the dog he was in Coal Grove. This way I could at least carry him with me and he could sleep while I did so.

My room was on the second floor near the front of the train car. The dining area was on the first floor in the middle. I had to travel down a wide flight of stairs to make it down there. The only type of elevator on the Train was for maintenance and other important things. My heavy boots clanged against the hallway floor as I walked. They’d been given to me the second day I was here after my first original pair practically melted from walking over the hot floor.

A slightly less burning wave of heat blew over me as I left the hallway and stepped out into the walkway that overlooked the cafeteria. It was a large room that was capable of holding all the members of Recall. I gazed over the railing at the dozens of metal tables with hundreds of people milling between and around them. Seeing so many people made me anxious.

I headed down the steps and got into one of the four lines for food. It was always served on a metal tray. Each meal always had some type of meat, a vegetable, a slice of bread, and a cup of water. That’s what everyone received every day, three times a day. The variations only slightly changed. Since I had Hue to feed, I always got two extra bowls. One for water and one filled with whatever meat was being served at the time. Clay got the same thing but in larger portions for Honey Bun as well.

I took a seat at a table filled with the least amount of people and ate in silence. There was little chance that I would find Zero-zero, Ninety-one, or Clay in so many people. I rarely ever saw them outside of our respective cleaning duty, but even that was unpredictable. At first, we would try to visit each other every day but had to stop since the work was so tiring.

It wasn’t just the cleaning. We had to combat training as well but at different times. Ninety-one, Clay, and Zero-zero trained together while I trained with Quince. We were never in the training gym together, which only made it worse. Life here had quickly become lonely. The most I saw of anyone was Vincent, who would regularly visit me while I was cleaning. It was odd, but it was nice to have someone to talk to regularly.

After eating, I headed to the right side of the train car where the gym was. I was scheduled to go there every day after breakfast and before dinner. It was my least favorite part of the day. Which made doing it every day all the worse. But Vincent said that it was necessary. He’d made it clear that working to stabilize cores would be dangerous and having some level of fighting skill was invaluable.

The door to the gym stood open as always. Inside were three other people. The first was Victoria Lennon. A tall dark-skinned woman with thinly braided hair. Her face was hard set into a frown despite being a fairly pleasant woman. She gave me a polite smile when she saw me enter.

“Good morning, Hyder,” She greeted.

“Hello, Ms. Lennon,“ I said. I learned fairly quickly that people here preferred being referred to by their last name. Especially her and Vincent, since they ran Recall. I wasn’t sure why someone in charge was bothering to train me on how to fight, but I wasn’t going to question it.

As I heard it, she was in charge of, and assisted in, making sure the mechanical parts of the Train were always working. She taught and directed all engineering that took place in Recall. She even had a hand in the small medical division too.

“Hey! Morning, Sol!” A cheery voice called out. From a corner of the gym came a girl a few years younger than me. She wore blue jeans, a pastel green shirt, and had bright pink hair that was tied back in a bun. I had to be told that her hair wasn’t naturally that color.

Her name was Opal Young. She’d befriended Quince early on and I guess was trying to do the same to me. I wasn’t against being around her, but I wasn’t used to being around energetic people like here.

“How are you doing this morning?” She asked once she was one a few strides away from me.

“Fine,” I said quietly. I watched her as Opal extended her hand out towards Hue, who hissed at her. He even swiped his paw at her. The soft limp harmlessly hit against her hand. He didn’t realize he had to extend his claws for them to work yet. “How are you?”

“Nope, he still doesn’t like me, yet. But you will one day little,” She said happily while pulling her hand back. She gave me a once over and nodded. “Yeah, I’m great. I was just talking with our friend, Quince-”

“I’m not friends with them,” Quince cut in. She sat against the wall several feet away. Her legs were straight out in front of her, stretching.

“Hyder. Young. Both of you get your stretching done so we can begin,” Lennon called out.

Opal was nice even if a bit too energetic for me to handle. She was the only person to actively try to befriend me and the others. That was likely the reason Lennon was having her train with Quince and me. The two of us barely got along when we were just standing near each other, let alone throwing punches at each other. Opal was here less so to help with our fight and more as a peaceful third party.

Quince and Opal started off first. I watched and they threw punches and kicks at each other. I stood against the wall watching, paying attention to the way they moved. Footing, stance, the way they swung and kicked at each other, everything. I did my best to memorize everything so I could replicate when my turn was up. All because I needed as much help as I could get.

I’d made very little progress when it came to fighting. It didn’t help that Quince used sparing time solely to throw me around. Opal was nicer about it but didn’t go as far as letting me win. False victories weren’t real, as Lennon had put it. When I mentioned my lack of skill to Vincent he said that I was bound to get better over time one way or another. It wasn’t exactly motivational. I didn’t bring it up to the others.

All too soon it was my time, and of course, it was against Quince first. Twenty minutes later I was dropped on the floor mats umpteenth time. Normally, Quince only pushed me to the floor, but this time she had to manage to pin me down. She was getting better. I wasn’t. I was not good at self-defense or fighting in general.

“You’re done, get off them, Hall,” Lennon said evenly. I grunted as Quince shifted her weight before getting off of me. I sat up and worked my shoulder blades. The spot where Quince had her knee on my back was already sore.

“How did I do?” Quince asked proudly.

“Passable,” Lennon said before turning her attention to me. “Hyder, have you ever been in a fight before?”

“No,” I said without looking up.

“Not even as a kid?” She asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

“No.” I hadn’t told her or anyone else that I didn’t remember being a child if I ever was one.

“That would explain quite a bit,” Lennon said off-handedly. “Well, you’re getting training for a reason. Get up and try again.”

An hour later of being thrown around and combat training was finally done. I graciously limped out of the gym and headed to the opposite end of the train car. Hue was laying over my shoulder, relaxed as I moved through the halls. They weren’t nearly as populated at the now, which was perfect. I wouldn’t be getting silent stares as I moved through the dark passages.

The custodial lounge was a large room with nearly a dozen square tables sitting in the middle. On the far wall were metal-framed boxes that sat upright against the wall. In them were cleaning supplies; brooms, dustpans, mops, buckets, sponges, cleaning chemicals, stained rags, and other things. There were only a handful of people here. A few were chatting with each other, while the rest sat silent as they enjoyed their downtime. None of them acknowledged me.

The walls were lined with chalkboards with names and jobs written on them along with which location of the train I would be working in. Today my job was to sweep in the dining hall. It was better than scrubbing machinery or doing laundry, so I gladly took it and gathered my supplies.

The cafeteria was actually peaceful when it was empty. There were a few other people around who were cleaning but they didn’t say anything. There were more people sweeping, it was a giant room after all, and there were also people who were washing down the tables. Once we were done a crew would come in to mop.

Without the noise of so many people around me. I was actually able to hear the sound of the Train's inner workings as it moved. I didn’t know where we were headed, only bothering to ask once. Vincent said that we were heading to a place where they could test if they could gain control of a place’s core. I didn’t ask anything further than that. After Coal Grove, I didn’t want to be anywhere near a core.

Later, while I was sitting at one of the tables that hadn’t been cleaned yet and petting Hue, I noticed someone walking up to me. I thought it would have been one of the people cleaning the tables about to ask me to move. When I looked up, I was surprised to see Adrian Hope standing a few feet from me.

He smiled politely at me. “Good morning, Hyder.”

“Good morning,“ I said back, confused.

He was a tall man with short curly blond hair and green eyes. He wore beige pants and a grey shirt with a white lab coat over it. His full name was stitched in the space under his shoulder. It looked too nice to be wearing in a place like this. Vincent had told me that he used to be a doctor. I’d only met the man one other time when I first arrived to Recall. It had been a short conversation and nothing meaningful.

Hope was like Lennon and Vincent; a leader of Recall. From what little I knew, he managed day to day life on the Train. He oversaw that food and water were rationed correctly. He made sure that the daily chores were kept up. He also worked to grow the food that we ate. The farming division was in the second train car, where Hope typically resided in. I was in the third.

What was he doing here?

“I’d like you to come with me for a bit,” he said carefully. “I promise you’re not in trouble. We’d just want a word with you and your friends about a few things.”


	2. Chapter 2

We stopped at the custodial lounge so I could drop off my cleaning equipment before heading to my room. Hope thought it would be best if I left Hue there. Afterward, he led me through the Train until we reached the front. We stood in front of a large metal door. The metal had once been painted black, most of it had fallen off. The handle for it was round, resembling a large steering wheel. It was shiny from use. There was a loud sound from just past it that I could feet through the floor up and into my bones. The sound was a mix between heavy grinding and deep rumbling.

"Sorry, but this will get loud," Hope warned as he approached the door. Reaching out, he turned the hand and pulled the door open with ease, despite it being thicker than the length of my hand.

Strong wind flooded inside. The roaring noise followed with it. The sound was so loud that I was forced to cover my ears. Beyond the door was a short hallway that was made from an opaque black mesh. It was made of metal and clanged as it moved from the motion of the Train. Ahead of us was another door to the front train car. Connecting the two cars was a metal bridge with high railing. In a jolt of horror, I realized we were going to cross it.

"Is this safe?" I asked looking up at Hope. He only smiled politely, having not been able to hear me over the noise. I didn't try to ask again.

He gestured to the bridge and I took a hesitant step out onto the bridge. It vibrated hard from the force of the Train. I gripped tightly onto the railing as my heart pounded in my chest. What if the bridge was weaker than it looked? What if a panel fell from under me? The mesh would stop me from falling and getting crushed under the giant treads, but how would I get out afterward? What if the mesh broke and fell through anyway?

I jumped when something touched my back. Whipping around, I saw that it was Hope. He patted my back and urged me to continue. I gripped onto the railing and slowly made my way forward. Was this the only way to get between the cars? Hope walked behind me casually, like he did this every day. I couldn’t imagine myself getting used to this.

After finally reaching the other end of the shaky bridge, Hope opened the door, and I but stumbled inside. My chest hurt and I struggled to breathe evenly. As I calmed down my body felt weak and my stomach turned. At least it was over now.

"Sorry about that," Hope said with a soft chuckle. "I should have warned you about that beforehand. We can take a break if you need it."

I shook my head. I'd embarrassed myself enough. He took the lead as he headed into the train car. I immediately noticed that despite it also being humid, this car was nearly as hot in here as the other one.

We were in a short hallway that led to the intersection of three other hallways. Hope walked in silence as I looked around. There wasn't much to see that the other car didn't also have. The walls were the same bronze and covered with rust and scratches. The floors had the same metal grates with thick cables running underneath.

The only difference was the temperature and the number of people around. So far we haven't seen anyone. Over the regular noise of the Train, I could make out footsteps. I'd even heard voices from behind some of the close doors we passed. There were others around, just out of sight.

Our path ended at a large plastic sheet that hung over the opening. It had long slits cut into, making it easy to walk through. On the other side were rows and rows of different kinds of plants in varying sizes. We walked near a wall that was lined with smaller plants that sat in elongated pots on metal shelves. Near the middle of the room were taller ones, some as big as trees, that sat in giant pots on the floor. In the distance, I could hear water spraying.

"Welcome to the garden," Hope announced proudly. "This is were all the food in Recall is grown. This is one of the main areas, but we have others throughout the car."

"How do you keep all of this alive in here?" I asked.

"It was quite a bit of trouble when we first started out, but now that we have special lighting that simulates sunlight and enough water to keep everything hydrated," he explained. "I also only have a small number of people working under me to make sure the plants aren't over handled and no one is sneaking food."

"Someone did that?" I asked. Sure the food portions were large, but there was enough to keep everyone fed. "Why?"

"Adjusting to life here isn't always easy. There are times when people feel they are owed more than what we can fairly give them without putting a strain on their supplies. So they take what they want," Hope said calmly.

"What do you do with them after?" There had to be some type of punishment to keep everyone from trying to sneak food.

"In those cases, we are forced to remove them from the Train," Hope said coldly. "Wherever we happen to be, we stop the train and force them to leave. We have too little resources to try and convince people to follow our rules. Therefore, in incidences where there is a risk to everyone is concerned, we have to take drastic measures."

I said nothing. It made sense given the dire situation, but it still felt harsh to dump someone in the middle of nowhere.

After a while, we left the garden area and entered another hallway where we stopped at a closed door. There were no signs or markings telling what it was. Hope opened the door, revealing a room with metal tables lined against the walls. Small potted plants sat on the tables. Clipboards and papers were also scattered over the tables.

"Welcome," Vincent said airily.

He was sitting at a table that stood in the center of the room. Unlike the others, it didn't have any plants on it but it did have a large paper map sitting in the middle.

"Hello. I greeted him as I moved towards him.

He sat on the opposite end of the table and gestured for me to sit in the stool across from him. As I did, Byrnes walked past us, heading to the back of the room where a large, white plastic box sat in the corner under a table.

"What do you think of the garden?" Vincent asked, drawing my attention.

"It's nice," I said, not sure how else to describe it. "I didn't know it was possible to grow so many plants inside. It's impressive."

"It is, isn't it. Adrian worked very hard to get this train car to where it is now. Modifying the lights and learning the needs for each type of plant was quite an achievement," Vincent said with a relaxed smile. "In the past, we needed to scavenge and occasionally steal for everything we had. Admittedly, we still need to do that for most of our supplies. We are much better off now that we have our own food supply."

"The garden has given us not only a better chance of surviving, but the opportunity to expand Recall through new members," Hope added when he joined us at the table.

He has three bottles of water that he set on the table. He slid one in front of me. The outside was covered in cold droplets. I tried not to be too eager as I opened it and began drinking.

"However, the Train can only do so much for us," Vincent continued. "To be able to survive here we need heavy restrictions on everything. This machine needs constant maintenance and cleaning. There is always something to be fixed and replaced. No one is allowed to wander wherever they please. With food always needing to be rationed, we can't afford to house anyone who can't work in one way or another. In short, this is no place a person would ever truly call home. Nor should it be."

I only nodded, not sure what I could possibly say to that.

"But there is a chance that our situation could change," Hope said enthusiastically. "Vincent tells me that you could be the key to that."

I glanced at Vincent. "I guess so."

"Sol has a unique skill with using the power of cores," Vincent said confidently. "They were able to use the cosmic sphere essentially immediately and were able to connect with Coal Grove's core directly. They had no control, but that is still significantly more than we've been able to accomplish so far. And with the sphere, and time to prepare, we have a chance to test our theory."

"But I failed last time," I said quietly.

"I would like to remind you that we weren't prepared either," Vincent stated with a dismissive wave. "This time we will have better odds."

"This time?" I asked.

"The Train is approaching a place that has a core that is close to collapsing," Hope explained. "We think that this is a good chance for you to give this another shot."

I stared at the bottle of water in front of me, unsure of what to say. I didn't want to get near another core again. But I wanted to give Ninety-one and Zero-zero someplace proper to live.

"You still want to do this, don't you?" Vincent asked.

"Yes," I said. "I'm just nervous about trying again."

"Practice makes perfect, as they say," Hope stated cheerfully.

"What will happen if I fail this time?" I asked, already partially knowing the answer.

"Nothing, that won't occur in its own time," Vincent said. "We aren't sending you anywhere that isn't already at risk. But we are going somewhere dangerous. If you don't think you'll be able to accomplish this, now is the time to say something."

Hope leaned his crossed arms on the table. "I'm sure you understand that we have a lot riding on this. There is a chance that things could go wrong, but that risk also means that there is just as much to be gained. You have the chance to secure a place that is safe and secure for people to begin their new lives. For them to have a place to settle down, have a family, and raise children. Together we can create a settlement that others can come to. We'll save the human race for this cruel world."

I took a breath and nodded. "I'll do whatever I can."

"That good, because were counting on you," Hope said as he leaned back. "Without your help, our goal would be much further away, by years even."

"You're going to help us achieve great things," Vincent said.

"I- okay. I'll do my best."

"Excellent," Hope said as he hot to his feet. "We will arrive in about a day, so feel free to take that time off to get some rest and mentally prepare-"

"I have a question," I said, unintentionally interrupting him. "Are Ni- Nicholas and the others coming with me?"

Hope gazed to Vincent, his face unreadable.

"Would you like them too?" Vincent asked.

"I'd feel more comfortable with them around," I admitted. "Him and Oscar at least."

"That would be a lot of people, all of which are untrained, to bring with us," Hope said carefully, his eyes still on Vincent

"I'll take Ashe with me," Vincent said confidently, "we will gather supplies while we're out and use it as a training exercise."

Hope nodded and turned his attention to me, a polite smile on his face. "That seems reasonable enough. Any other requests?"

"No," I said, turning my eyes away from them.

"Good," Hope said as he walked around the table. "I'll take you back to your room."

"One more thing," Vincent said, causing Hope to stop walking. "Have you ever tried to use the power from that town's core, since being here?"

"No," I told him.

"You should at some point. Who knows, some of that power may have clung to you," Vincent said. "Also, don't worry about telling your friends. I'll take care of that."

I quietly followed Hope out of the room, already decided on not testing Vincent's theory out. The trip back to the other train car was in silence. Hope seemed calm, but I wasn't sure. I didn't know him enough to be able to tell. Everything about talking with those two was exhausting. I was relieved once I was back in my room. After parting with Hope, I immediately went to lay across my bed.

If anything, I at least got a cold bottle of water and about a day off of cleaning duty out of the meeting. Even if it did come at a larger and terrifying cost. I was not looking forward to whatever was to come. The best that I could hope for, was that the outcome ended up better than what happened in Coal Grove.


	3. Chapter 3

While walking back through the large garden area, we heard barking. A brown and tan dog came bounding from between the plants. Hope and I stopped walking at the sight of the dog. Honey Bun all jumped into my arms when she saw me. Surprised, I struggled to catch and hold my grip on her while she excitedly licked my face. It has been half a week since I last saw her. She'd come sprinting from nowhere from that time too.

"Bun! What have you told you about running off?" Clay shouting from somewhere in the room.

"Hello Clay!" I shouted out to him. I had to turn my head away from Honey Bun to make sure she didn't lick me in my mouth. That was not a mistake I was making again.

"Sol?" Clay called back. "It's been a while. I'd come and find you, but Bun isn't being helpful."

Smiling, I set Honey Bun on the floor so Clay could find us. It was interesting how I'd become used to the idea of Clay being able to see only through Honey Bun's eyes. The short dog returned to the maze of plants just as fast as she appeared. After a few minutes, she came out with Clay in tow.

He was a tall man with dark skin and long black hair that was rolled into thin dreadlocks. His eyes were clouded and grey, blind from something every adult in his town had. He smiled widely as enveloped me in a crushing hug.

"What're you doing on this side of the track?" He asked.

"I was just showing Sol around," Hope answered. I said nothing as Clay set me down and smiled down at me.

"Thinking about coming to work over here? I have to say, I'd appreciate the company. Not many people are social around here," Clay said.

"Am I allowed to do that?" I asked while looking at Hope.

"That would depend on what Vincent and Victoria would have to say on the matter," Hope said. "I can bring it up to them if you would like."

"Do you want to?" Clay asked. "You don't have to."

"I don't know anything about growing plants," I admitted.

"Very few who work under me do," Hope said. "Your friend here is a welcomed rarity."

"Is it hard?" I asked.

"It's much easier than running my farm," Clay said with a hint of sadness. His farm wasn't large, but it was his family's and he had lived there for his entire life. Now, it and his town were gone. "But I'll teach you everything I know."

I nodded. "Then I want to do it."

Clay pulled me into another, less crushing, hug. "It is going to be so good to have you around!"

Clay and I chatted for a while, catching up on mostly how our chores have been doing before Hope declared that he needed to get me back to the other train car. I was sure that we were boring him, but said nothing about it as Clay and I said our goodbyes.

“Just to let you know, it may be a while before you can get switch over the garden. And that is only if Vincent agrees," Hope said as we made it to the door at the end of the train car.

From there on, I was left to find my way back to my room. It took longer than it should have because I kept getting last but I eventually made it to my room. I kicked off my shoes and laid on my bed. Maybe I could get some rest before lunch.

It was a few hours later when Ninety-one and Zero-zero came by my room. Sat on my bed while I sat on the trunk. It was late in the day, telling by the clock, and they had come to talk to me after they had been told about Vincent's plan. Hue laid across my lap, once again napping. He slept a lot for someone who didn't do anything.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ninety-one asked.

"Yes," I told them, sound more confident than I felt. "I want to try."

"Even after what happened last time?" Zero-zero asked. Ninety-one gave him a disapproving look. "I know it wasn't your fault, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous."

"Vincent says that it will go better since we will have a plan and better preparation this time," I said.

"Yes, he mentioned something similar to use," Zero-zero said. "According to him, they regularly stop at this place to get supplies. Since the core is near collapse, they want to make one last run. At the very least, it is somewhere they know."

"That isn’t very comforting," Ninety-one said while watching the floor.

"We'll be spending most of the time getting supplies," I told them, "So we won't be during anything dangerous."

"It will be nice to get off this train for a while," Zero-zero muttered. Ninety-one quietly nodded. "We wanted to check in with you before the end of the day."

"If you don't want to do this, you will tell us, right?" Ninety-one asked.

"Okay," I lied.

The next morning I was able to take my time getting out of bed. I laid in my darkened room listening to people as they moved down the hallway. Though the walls were solid metal, I was still able to catch the excited yet muffled voices of conversation. It wasn't until I'd eventually headed to the bathrooms that I heard people talking about arriving in a city soon.

Even with the showers mostly cleared out it was alive with chatter as people tried to guess where we were going to end up in. The people who worked under Vincent speculated on who would be allowed to go out. Everyone else seemed to be less energetic. From what I overheard, people were happy at the possibility of getting more supplies, but for the most part, everyone else would still be doing their daily chores.

The dining hall was buzzing with conversation as well. Voices echoed off the walls of the large room. I frowned at the loud reverberating sound. I'd barely started eating my breakfast of overcooked eggs when Opal came up beside me. Her tray clanged as she set in too hard on the table. A wide smile was spread over her face.

"Sol! I'm glad I finally found you. Have you heard the news yet? Of course, you have, you must have with everyone talking about it. Are you curious to learn where we're going to be stopping at? I hope it's somewhere new. Hopefully not dangerous, but few places aren't. Hey, I never asked you, what was your home like? Quince mentioned that you aren't from the same place we picked you up at-" Opal said while gesturing to Quince who was sitting across from us. "But she didn't say anything about your old home."

"That's because they don't talk about it," Quince said as she picked at what remained of her breakfast.

"Tell me about it. What was it like to live there? What did everything look like? Did you have any weird animals or creatures there?" Opal rambled. “Please tell me. I have to know.”

“There isn’t much to tell,” I say, put off by her enthusiastic curiosity. “It was a quiet city were all anyone did was work.”

“There must be more to it than that,” she pushed.

I only shrugged in response. I hated having to think about what it was like to live in Goldsboro. Telling people about it was even worse. I wanted to forget about that place.

“Anyway,” Quince said, breaking the quiet around us “When are we going to be able to get out of this place. It’s nice and all, but I want to get out and enjoy the fresh air.”

“Well, that all depends on where we end up at and on who Castillo wants to take,” I blinked, thinking for a moment. I’d forgotten Vincent’s last name. “If it's somewhere we’ve stopped at before, he might take a couple of you new people, but not many. If it's somewhere new, then you might be out of luck this time.”

Quince set her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. “I don’t get how you can get used to living in this place.”

Opal gave a forced laugh. “It’s not the best, but it’s better than trying to live with whatever’s out in the world.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Quince muttered.

“What was it like where you’re from?”

“Oh, it was a wonderful place, full of color and a lot of fun people. It was a non-stop party. Every Monday my friends and I would go to a new place to eat. If we were lucky the food would be bad enough to knock us out of the hangovers we got from the weekend before,“ Opal said happily.

“Aren’t you too young to drink?” Quince asked.

Opal shrugged. “In most places, yeah, but not there. As long as people were responsible about how much they drank and where no one cared.”

Quince asked more about Opal’s home while I quietly ate my breakfast. They talked about the similarities of how they grew up. I stayed quiet, not having anything to add or compare it to. I never had a childhood. If I didn’t, I had no memories of it. I quickly found myself wanting to return to the solitude of my room. If anything just to go back to sleep. Maybe I’d read one of the books sitting in my trunk.

I looked up when I felt Opal touch my arm. “Hey, do you feel that? The Train is slowing down.”

How could she tell? I tried to concentrate on the ever-present vibrations that move through the floor and everything that touched it. Nothing seemed to have changed. Nothing sounded different either, but it was hard to tell over the normal rumbling and with so many people talking around us.

“Are you sure?” Quince asked. “Everything seems the same to me.”

“That’s because you haven’t been here long enough,” Opal said through a breath of laughter. “Give it enough time and you’ll be able to tell when the Train speeds up and slows down in no time. If you know what to feel for that is. Come to think of it, not everyone can feel it. But Lennon can. I guess because she knows so much about it and works on it all the time. I do a lot of work on it too when she lets me, so maybe that’s why I can tell.”

“Right,” Quince says with a raised eyebrow.

“Anyway, I’ll bring you both souvenirs if I get the chance,” She said confidently.

The buzzer for the end of breakfast sounded and we went our separate ways. I placed Hue on my shoulder and went back to my room.

I didn't know what kind of place we would be arriving at, so I used my free time to rest. Vincent said that it wouldn't be dangerous, but I couldn't trust that. Coal Grove was safe too until it very suddenly wasn't. The same happened with Heita as well and could happen again. But for now, I would try to relax and enjoy my downtime.

Without cleaning duty time dragged. Back in Burilmont Ninety-one used to say that I needed a hobby. Outside of reading, I could never find one that interests me. I missed having simple problems like that. It was too early to go back to sleep, so with nothing better to do, I reached under my bed to grab my backpack. Inside one of the smaller pockets, was a key that was almost as big as my hand. It has been over two weeks since I’ve seen it. The key was white and looked to be made of wood.

I held it out to the door of the room, hovering it near the middle. A shining white dot appeared at the center of the door. It stretched out into a line then reached the top and bottom of the door. The two sides split and opened into a large hexagonal white room. The walls were lined with tall bookcases. most of which were empty. The ones that weren’t were filled with canned food, that was probably expired by now, clothes, and what few other things I owned. I barely owned up to a dozen books.

At the center of the room sat a circular light-grey white table with six chairs around it. The ceiling was glass and rounded into a dome. Outside the glass was a dark sky filled with sparkling stars with colorful nebula clouds behind and around them. Occasionally, I would catch a small speck streak across the magnificent scene. I had no idea how this place worked or how the key was able to use any door to open to it. Yet of all the strange things I’ve encountered, it was the least dangerous.

I released Hue from his harness before stepping into the library. He was still in the form of a cat as he ran ahead of me and jumped up on the table. The tabletop lit up as he landed on it, changing to display a map. Normally I’d be able to see the grey dots of places I’ve been to before, but now I saw nothing but the outlines of roads and the indicator of where I was. How far had we gone from Coal Grove and the other cities?

Stepping up to the table’s surface, I set two fingers on it and pulled it. The map zoomed out until I could see the other four dots in the distance. Telling by the compass rose near the edge of the map, we were heading north from the cities. It was nearing the third week since leaving Coal Grove. The entire time, the train had been moving, but it was only now that I realized how far away I was from them. It was bittersweet to think about.

I stayed in the library, spending my time reading through one of the books that I haven’t gotten a chance to go through in a while since joining Recall. Through the open door, I heard the buzzer for lunch go off. Hue, still on the table, lifted his head and yawned. The noise had woken him up from his nap. The cutting sound was loud even in here. I closed my book and set it on the table before tucking Hue under my arm and leaving the library. I closed the door, strapped Hue back into his harness, and left for the dining hall.

There were papers taped on the walls near where everyone stood in line for food. They gave the name of where we were stopping. It was the place called the Lucky Coin Casino. I had no idea what a casino was other than it was a place that people used to take vacations at. At times like this, I wished I had a dictionary in my book collection.

Under the location name was a list of people who would be going there. Surprisingly, there were only eight names listed. For some reason, I expected more. Among them were me, Ninety-one under the name Nicholas Hyder, Zero-Zero under the name Oscar Royal, and Opal Young. Vincent and Ashe were also on the lost along with two I didn't recognize.

Under the names was the place to meet and a time. It was tomorrow after breakfast. It also said to dress lightly and to bring nothing that you wouldn’t risk losing. That confused me. Maybe it was just a rule with leaving the Train?

I took a seat at a table with the least amount of people. Today’s meal was mixed meat made into a loaf slice and an assortment of vegetables. Hue was eating what looked to be shredded beef and chicken. At least one of us was eating something decent.

“So,” Quince said as she dropped her tray across from me. The sound of it hitting the table briefly drew the attention of the people near us. “looks like you get to leave with Vincent and the others tomorrow. Must be nice.”

How was she able to find me when I could never find Ninety-one or Zero-zero for two weeks? “Vincent said that he wanted to try using the sphere again since that place is safe and they know it well.”

She huffed. “Okay, but why is only your family going? I can go too. I can help.”

“That isn’t up to me,” I told her. “Clay isn’t going either.”

Quince rolled her eyes. “He’s blind. It makes sense that he isn’t going.”

“He can see through Honey Bun,” I reminded her. “He helps with keeping the garden despite not being able to see through his own eyes. Hope says he's good at it.”

“Yes, I got it. The blind farmer does more than me. But I could do more if I was stuck cleaning and given the chance to show that I can do more," she said as she leaned on the table.

"I didn't choose who gets to go. Maybe talk to Vincent about it," I told her.

"I would if I knew where to find him," she snapped. She sat back and frowned at the table "It's not like he'd listen to me anyway. I can't use that stupid sphere like you can. Maybe if I got a chance to actually practice with it, then I could do what you did. That way I wouldn't be stuck here while you got to go off and actually do something interesting."

"I don't get why you're telling me this," I said before returning to my food. Why of all people, did she come to me to complain? Couldn't she have gone and found Opal or someone else?

"Because it isn't fair," she hissed before quickly switching to a calmer tone. "Listen, I know we don't get along well, but if something does go wrong wouldn't you rather have me to help you out than somebody you don't know? I'm pretty decent in a fight."

"I know," I told her bitterly. I'm the one she's throwing around several times a week.

"Right," she said carefully as if realizing the reason for my tone. "Anyway, do you think you could talk Vincent into letting me come too?"

I barely got him to let Ninety-one and Zero-zero come with us, not that I was going to tell her that. She'd probably start complaining at me like it was my fault. Instead, I shook my head. "I don't have any authority over any of this. You'll have to talk to him yourself. Come to the meeting place if you want to and try to convince him."

"I might as well, seeing as you won't be any help," she huffed.

"I have enough to deal with," I shot back at her. "If you want to risk your life messing around with dangerous unknown energies, go ahead. I'd much rather say here."

Quince opened her mouth, ready to argue but hesitated. She stood from the table. "Whatever."

I went back to eating as she walked away. I ignored the quiet from the other people at the table. Thankfully, they went back to chatting after a while. Why did she have to do that here in front of so many people? My ability to use the sphere was supposed to be a secret. I hoped Vincent wouldn't let her come with us. I already spent enough time around Quince. And it would serve her right for trying to get something through me. For someone who didn't like me, she liked to go out of her way to interact with me.


	4. Chapter 4

When I woke up the next morning everything felt different. The noise from the walls wasn't nearly as loud as the day before. The vibration from the floor wasn’t as strong either. Did the Train stop during the night?

I got my answer while heading to the bathrooms. Like yesterday, people were excited talking about the Train having stopped. This time around people were speculating what Vincent's group would bring back. The way they talked about the casino, Recall visited it as regularly as someone would a convenience store. That was a small comfort.

Getting through breakfast was difficult. I was too nervous to have an appetite but didn't know what kind of food would be at the casino. Would it be easy to get food? What if we wouldn't be able to eat for a while? What if something happened and we couldn't get to anything? I should have asked more about what kind of place we were heading to.

By the time breakfast, I was beginning to feel sick from my anxiety. With Hue on my shoulder, I headed to the back of the train car, where the garage was located. It was easy to find since I only needed to follow the straight hallway that connected it to the dining hall.

The garage was nearly the same size as the cafeteria. It held over a dozen vehicles of all shapes. They were lined up in rows with enough space to drive between them. The far wall was made up of three tall garage doors.

When I arrived, Ashe was the only I saw there. He was standing next to a black vehicle that looked similar to a small bus. He smiled as I approached him.

“Hey, Good morning,” he greeted.

“Hello,” I said while looking around the garage. This was the correct time, right? This was the only garage I knew about, so maybe I was just early.

“We’re still waiting on a few others, so you can wait in the bus for now,” he said.

I nodded and headed up the metal steps. Inside the bus were Vincent and Hope, they were sitting next to each other in the front seat behind the drivers. They were talking lowly to each other, only stopping to nod a greeting at me. Further inside the bus were two other people. One was an older woman, the other was a young man. I’d never seen either of them before. I took a seat near the middle on the bus, a good distance away from everyone else.

I sat with Hue on my lap. He idly kneaded at the already torn seat. After a few minutes, Ninety-one and Zero-zero arrived. They smiled when they saw me. Ninety-one sat in the seat next to me and Zero-zero took the one in front of us. As they sat down, Ashe appeared on the bus.

“Castillo,” he called to Vincent, “Quince wants to speak with you.”

“Tell her now isn’t a good time.” His answer was curt and emotionless.

I sat near the window. From there I could see Quince waiting outside the bus. She was staring earnestly at the open door.

"Oh, I'm sure whatever she wants from you is very important," Hope said, openly amused. Vincent gave the blond an annoyed look before begrudgingly standing and walking off the bus.

“Do you know what she wants?” Ninety-one asked me.

“She wants to come too. She came to me yesterday at dinner, complaining about it,” I told them. Zero-zero nodded quietly.

I watched from the window, trying not to blatantly stare, as the two of them talked. Quince started off with a pleasant smile as she began talking. I couldn't hear what they said, but the conversation was short.

Vincent only allowed her to speak for a few moments before shooting down her request. Her smile dropped as she tried to speak again, but Vincent held up his hand, spoke only a few words, and returned to the bus. I gazed at the back of the seat in front of me as Vincent stepped back on the bus.

"Let's go," was all he said when he sat back down.

Everyone was quiet as Ashe took the driver's seat and started the engine. I gazed out the window as the bus moved. Quince was still standing there and glaring at the ground. Vincent didn't seem to want Zero-zero or Ninety-one to come on this trip so I wasn't surprised that he had denied her. I just didn't expect him to brush her off like that.

The bus turned out of its parking spot and headed towards one of the garage doors. As we got closer the door began to rise. Harsh sunlight poured into the large room. It had been a long time since I'd last seen raw sunshine like this.

I could feel a thin wave of energy when the bus passed into the radius of the core’s power. Looking at Ninety-one, it didn’t seem to notice it. Maybe he couldn’t feel it. When I looked out the window, I saw that we were nearing the outskirts of what looked like a rundown neighborhood. The buildings were made of cracked concrete. They had broken and boarded up windows.

People in ragged clothing sat outside huddled in small groups. They looked to be playing with cars and plain dice. Ashe drove slowly over the broken and uneven street. Children gawked and threw stones at the side of the bus. Hardly any of the adults bothered to look up as we passed.

Far ahead, by maybe a mile or two, was a line of buildings. They looked simple and decently kept compared to the ones around us. Even in the bright morning sun, the flashing and bright colors from signs and billboards were apparent. It reminded me a bit of how Heita looked. Almost. The signs there were more decorative, these seemed to be more like pushy advertisements even if we were too far to clearly see what they said.

‘Serve or Starve’. It was spray-painted across the sides of several of the buildings we passed. It was always in a crude, uneven letter. None of them matched each other. Did different people paint them? What did that mean? Vincent said this place was safe, but he’d also said that nowhere in this world was safe.

The road out of the rundown area didn’t have a single turn in it. When we reached the nicer section, I saw that it was separated from the other part by a fence. It was a small wooden picket fence that was graffitied on one side and painted white on the other. The road was unblocked and unguarded. Not a single person in ragged clothes was on the far side of the fence.

The bus steadied as it moved over the smoothly paved road. Moderately dressed people walked the sidewalks. No one loitered around buildings or in alleyways. There were shops and other businesses around. There were a surprisingly large amount of pawnshops. Printed on billboards and store windows were signs for games. One night poker tournaments, low stakes dice throwing, cornerstone slot machines, were the most prominent.

Ashe maneuvered the bus through the city as if he’d done it dozens of times before. There was a possibility that he had. Eventually, he parked the bus in the parking lot of an official-looking building that was made of white stone. Tall pillars stood at its front. There were no signs of any kind adorning it.

“Sol, Nickolas, and Oscar, you three will be with me,” Vincent said as he stood from his seat. “The rest of you will gather supplies with Adrian. We will meet back here at six.”

“What are we going to do here?” Zero-zero asked as the others made their way down the sidewalk, Hope taking the lead.

“This city is nearing its end and before it does, I want us to get supplies for Recall. This place is one of our best stops and it is an honest shame to see it go. So while we’re here I want to try and succeed where we failed in that town,” Vincent explained as he looked over the city. “But for today, I want you three to get acclimated to this place and understand how it works.”

“Okay,” Ninety-one said slowly before gesturing at the white building, “But why are we here?”

“The entire city works as a gambling ring,” Vincent began. “To gain anything of worth here a person must gamble for it. To do that you need two things. The first is an ID. With it, anything you happen to win is tracked and recorded. It also doubles as a debit card in that way. Unlike most places, your money can’t be stolen easily. The second thing you need are golden poker cards. Once you have your IDs you’ll be given five of those cards. No matter what happens, do not lose them. The more of those cards you have the hair on the social scale you are and the further into the city you can go.”

“What will happen if we do lose the cards?” Ninety-one asked.

“You’ve seen the people who have only one card here. They live in the slums, spending all of their time trying to crawl their way back to where they once were. Unlike those people, we aren’t trapped here. We have Recall to fall back on,” Vincent’s voice was filled with warning. “If you lose all your cards, you’ll disappear. You will be forced into servitude deep within the city, far from help. If this happens, there will be nothing we can do for you.”

“Have you lost people here before?” Zero-zero asked.

“Yes,” Vincent said plainly. “I suppose they thought they could have an easy life here if they just climbed the ladder high enough. I don’t know. No one does.”

“But, other than that, are you safe here?” I asked.

“Keep the cards safe and you all will be fine,” Vincent said.

The white building was the city hall. Inside the walls were also white snd the floors were made of polished marble. Despite the warm sunlight that shined through the high windows above us, the air was fringed. Our footsteps echoed as we crossed the large room. This place reminded me of where I used to work. Months later and I still didn't miss the stark interior of the Uni-Cell tower.

A large grey desk sat near the back of the room. The two workers sat behind it didn't seem to notice us. Both of them were women. They looked to be only slightly older than Opal. Their heads were down, looking at something on the desk. I saw the corner of a playing card as one of them set it down.

Vincent cleared his throat," Excuse me, I need to get these three registered for IDs."

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure, give me a minute," one of them said. She had bright orange-brown hair that was pulled back into a bun. She looked around, opening and closing drawers on the desk until she pulled out papers and some clipboards.

She handed on to each of us, except for Vincent, and had us fill out information about ourselves. Height, age, physical characteristics, things like that. Once that was done her coworker typed in informed into the computers while she had us stand against the wall to have our pictures taken. It was similar to getting ID in Burilmont but much less complicated.

The woman who took our pictures explained that our IDs had two-thousand five hundred points automatically added onto them. When she went to retrieve the IDs from where they were printed, Vincent explained that points were this city's version of money.

When we got our ID cards we were also given a black plastic case. Inside were golden poker cards. The holographic material glittered in the light. The print was a deep black even for the heart and diamonds cards. They were nicely made and felt sturdy than regular playing cards.

"Alright, now that we are finished with that, let's get you three a taste of life here," Vincent said as we left city hall.


	5. Chapter 5

When Vincent said that he'd take us somewhere to experience life in a city-sized casino, I didn't think the first place he'd take us was city hall. I definitely wouldn't have thought the second place would be a convenience store. It was a nice looking store. It was clean and the shelves were filled with snacks with interesting and colorful packaging. Energetic music played softly overhead as Vincent led us to the front corner of the store.

"These are slot machines," Vincent told us as he gestured to five metal machines that sat san near the front window of the store. Each one had a black stool sitting in front of it. "These are smaller versions of the ones found in gambling dens. We'll visit one of those later. For now, try these ones out."

I set Hue on my lap when I sat down. Looking over the machine, I saw that there was a place to swipe a card off to one side. Next to it was a large yellow button with the word 'spin' printed on it. The face of it was like a computer screen. It displayed three columns that would occasionally turn to show different pictures of fruit, the number seven and, and black rectangles with the word bar across them.

I slid my ID through the slot and flinched as loud music began to play from the machine. From behind the colorful designs, lights began to flash. The spin button flashed as well. I pressed the button and the pictures on the three wheels began to quickly switch between each other. The speakers made loud, exaggerated clicking sounds as the pictures changed. Meowing angrily, Hue climbed back onto my shoulder.

Only by one, the image stopped changing. One was a cherry, another was a yellow bell, and the last was a picture of half a watermelon. Nothing happened as the lights on the machine faded out and the music stopped.

I looked back at Vincent.

"You didn't win anything," he explained. "Try again."

"Are all of these machines this loud?" Ninety-one asked.

"Yes but it's harder to tell in a building filled with them. It’s an inconvenience that we will, unfortunately, have to deal with,“ Vincent said dismissively. ”These slot machines only cost twenty-five points. They are cheap but don’t give out high rewards. However, they make for a great place to start when getting used to them.“

Catching the hint, I slid my card again and hit the spin button. Ninety-one and Zero-zero also started up their own slot machines. The combination of all three of them was almost deafening. I couldn't imagine being in an entire room with these things.

The pictures on my machine stopped on all fruits. The machine screamed as lights rapidly flashed and ‘25 points' was displayed on the screen.

"Congratulations on your first win," Vincent said calmly once the noise died down. "A higher cost machine would have given you a more, but the chances of winning anything on those is lower. You might not want to get used to the feeling of winning anything.”

We stayed there and played the slot machines a few more times. Ninety-one and Zero-zero got a few wins in, but they weren't jackpots, but it was something. But at the end of it, we had less money than when we started. I was relieved when Vincent finally said that we could leave the convenience store. The quiet of being outside felt odd after listening to loud noises for so long.

"Where to now?" Zero-zero asked with disinterest.

"We are going to head to a small casino-like place. I believe they are called amusement arcades,” Vincent said. "T They are almost like casinos in a broad sense, but the one were going to is oriented more towards fun than earning anything compared to the others."

The walk to this place took nearly half an hour. We passed several interesting looking places as we went. Most had decorative flashing signs and promises of free food and drinks. We passed a few pawn shops too. They looked nothing like the one I went to in Burilmont. These were brightly lit and, from the windows, looked far more organized. All of them had signs of great deals and discounts.

The outside of the building wasn't that extravagant. It was mostly plain concrete with a few colorful lights around the entrance. The glass of the doors were heavily tented to the point of being nearly blacked out. The inside was dimly lit with small white lights that lined the ceiling. Instrumental jazz music played over the loudspeakers. Though it was mostly drowned by voices and other noises.

I gazed around at the slot machines that stood in the large room and against the walls. They were larger than the ones at the store and were more decorative. There were other types of machines too, but I didn’t recognize them. They all looked more like games than things used for gambling.

“What are we doing here?” Zero-zero asked skeptically.“

As I said before, this place is similar to a small casino. Therefore, it is a suitable place for you three used to the environment,” Vincent said. “You'll be spending most of the day here, so you might as well try to enjoy being here. I’ll be back for you in a few hours.”

Ninety-one gave me a look as Vincent turned and left. I wasn’t respecting this either but was relieved. The last time we tried to retrieve a core we ended deep underground. It was hard to find a reason to complain when comparing them.

Looking around, I saw that most of the people here were young; teenagers or young adults. There were even a few children around as well. There were older adults too, but far less than everyone else. Maybe they were parents. At the very least, everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. Maybe we could too.

“It’s kind of like the place you took me in Heita,” I told him. “Maybe this will be fun.”

“Yeah, you could be right,” Ninety-one said with a smile. “What should we do first?”

We decided to start with a simple-looking game. The objective was simple. There was a wheel with different sections on it. Only one was lit at a time. Surrounding the while was a ring of smaller lights. A group of them would light up green. The wheel of lights would spin. The goal was to stop the spinning by pushing a button and have the lit panel stop in the green area. Each round the number of green lights got smaller.

It was easy enough to get a hang of and I won a few times but didn't give out a lot of points. There were stools to sit in, and I had Hue in my lap. I guess he got bored and started pushing the button but never when he was supposed to. He started costing me points, so we switched to something else.

We moved on to a game called Plinko. It dropped a plastic ball down a wall of small pegs to land in one of the many holes at the bottom. It was completely random. I didn't like it, but Ninety-one did. Next, we played a basketball game. None of us were good at it and we quickly switched to something else.

Out of all the games we played, I liked air hockey the most. Hitting the little puck around and listening to it bounce around was relaxing. The winner wasn't awarded a lot of points, but it didn't cost much to play either. The longer the match the more points the winner was given, so we made sure to keep the scores even for as long as we could.

Zero-zero liked the game too. When we were playing against each other he smiled for the first time since getting here. He and Ninety-one were playing against each other while I watched from the side.

The end of Hue’s leash was tied around one of the belt loops of my pants. The cat in question was on the floor so he could stretch his legs. He was getting too used to me carrying him around. 

I could feel the leash pull as he attempted to wander off. Were was he trying to go? Maybe he was just excited about not being on the Train anymore. I should ask Vincent if I can take Hue for a walk so he can properly explore.

There was a thud followed by angry hissing as the leash lurched back with enough force to make me stumble. I turned to see a teenage boy on the ground. The leash was caught around the boy's foot and Hue partially trapped under him. The boy shouted as Hue clawed at his side. His claws ripping through his jeans.

I grabbed Hue by the back of his harness and pulled him off the boy. I unwound the leash from his foot while apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. I should've been watching him better. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine," the boy said while Zero-zero helped him to his feet. He looked over the torn side of his pants, then at Hue. "I wasn't looking where I was going anyway. Sorry for stepping on your cat. Is he hurt?"

Hue hissed furiously at him. I hugged Hue to my chest and turned him away from the teen. Hue's been through worse and was probably more angry than anything. "Yes, he's fine. Just angry."

"He scratched you pretty bad," Ninety-one said. "Are you going to be alright?"

The boy shrugged. "My jeans are ruined but they were old anyway."

The boy left, saying he was going to find his friends and that was the end of it. The commotion had barely drawn the attention of the other people around us. I wasn't complaining.

"That was quite a sight," Vincent said as he approached us. How long had he been there?

"You're back already?" Zero-zero asked.

"I've got going for about five hours. But time flies when you get to play around," Vincent retorted. "We're having lunch, so I came to get you."

"Alright," Ninety-one said, his voice laced with disappointment.

As we began to follow Vincent out of the arcade, my foot hit against something. Looking down, I saw that it was a plastic box for the gold cards. I hurriedly picked it up. I didn't realize it fell out of my pocket when the boy tripped over the leash. What would have happened if I lost these? I needed to keep a better track of them. And Hue, apparently.

After a bit of walking around the city, we reunited with the other Recall members as a fast-food burger restaurant. Luckily, the restaurant had something suitable for Hue to eat as well. The nine of us sat amongst three different tables.

To my surprise, the restaurants here were mostly automated. We ordered our food through a little computer station that spits out an order ticket. A few minutes later the food slid out on a small conveyor belt.

At a corner of the dining area, there was a group of people playing cards. I didn't know what they were playing, but the people were really focused on their game. Among their regular cards, there were gold one sitting on the table. They were betting on them.

"Do you know how to play poker?" I asked.

"Not anymore, but I used to when I was younger," Zero-zero answered.

"No, but it could be fun to learn together," said Ninety-one.

"It would probably take too long to get good enough for it to be useful," Zero-zero said. "I don't know how Vincent expects us to gather all the different cards."

"Maybe we have to pool them together to have a full deck?" Ninety-one suggested.

"Between us, we only have fifteen cards. Some are probably duplicates. There's no way we can get them all," Zero-zero said.

"Between all of us, I'm sure it's possible," Ninety-one said optimistically.

Zero-zero shrugged. "If it were that easy, they would have done it by now."

Reaching in my back pocket, I pulled out my box of gold cards. The case already had scratches on it from falling earlier. It was a shame that the nice plastic was already damaged but at least I didn't lose it. Opening the box, I looked over the cards. Inside were five cards. None of them were the ones I had before. I pulled my case of cards out of my side pocket and held it next to the beat-up one.

"Keep them. There's nothing we can do about it," Vincent said when I told him about the other case of cards. He sat at the table with the three of us.

"Shouldn't we try to return them?" Ninety-one asked.

"They boy has likely already left the arcade by now," Vincent said dismissively.

"Won't the police try to track us down to find them?" Zero-zero asked.

"The police here don't care about things like that. Cards are betted and lost so easily that they can't trust reports of and that are claimed to have been stolen," Vincent explained. "Even if you tried to turn them in, the people you take them to will take the cards for themselves. That's how this place is."

I turned the worn case over in my hands. How long will it take for him to notice his cards are gone? Will he come looking for me? What would happen to him?

"However, this does provide us with an easier method of gathering the cards," Vincent said as he looked over Hue and me.

"You want us to steal from people?" Ninety-one asked offendedly. He kept his voice as a harsh whisper.

"Didn't you say that people without the cards disappeared into the city?" Zero-zero said. "Why would purposely do that to someone?"

Vincent sighed and rested his arms on the table. "As I explained; this place will soon fall apart. Everyone in this city will either die or meet a worse fate. Our best lead right now us to gather more gold cards to get further into the city to find the core. Taking them is our best and quickest method right now."

"But we'll be ruining people's lives," Ninety-one protested.

"The people here spend there lives obsessing about gambling. They waste their entire lives on it. Do you know why that is? The energy of the core drives them to do it. Once we take that energy, there will be nothing to control these people. They'll have their minds back. Their freedom. Life here will be normal. There won't be people dying in squalor because they didn't have luck on their side. We can help them. But first, we're going to need to make some sacrifices."

By now the others had already left. The people in the corner were still playing their game. A family had come in and were happily eating and chatting together. If they lost their cards what would happen to them? Where would the kids end up? Would they be able to stay with their parents?

"I don't want to get anyone hurt," I told them.

"If we succeed in this, no one will get hurt," Vincent said. "This city will end up better because of us. But if nothing is done, everyone will suffer."

"Okay," I relented.


	6. Chapter 6

I should have kept quiet about the other case of cards. If I had known that we'd be stealing, I would have. But I didn't and now Vincent had taken us to someplace where he believed there would be easy targets for us. The four of us and Hue sat in the corner of a bar. Unlike the one I had visited in Heita, this one was dark and noisy. Drunken people spoke loudly over music and each other. The smell of alcohol was thick in the air. The wooden floors were sticky with spilled drinks and foods. There was nothing pleasant about it.

"This place sells cheap drinks and allows for casual, low-risk gambling," Vincent explained when he noticed our displeased faces. "The people here will be engrossed in drinking their problems away and scrounging what little money they can to be too concerned with anything we do, as long as we're subtle."

We sat in a booth in a corner of the room and observed our surroundings while we waited for the waiter to come and take our order. Vincent said we had to get something alcoholic to blend in but we shouldn't drink it. I let Ninety-one pick for me. Among our drinks, we got glasses of water. I sipped on that while Vincent took out a pack of regular playing cards.

"We're here to play cards?" Zero-zero asked.

"No," Vincent responded as he passed cards to each of us. "But we need to look occupied."

"Then what are we going to do?" Ninety-one asked.

"I have already explained that," Vincent said offhandedly. "Sol, take your pet out of the harness."

Hue sat in my lap. I reluctantly took the harness off him. Hue shook himself, sending white fur floating into the hair. He set his paws on the table as I pet his back.

"Are you sure we need to do this?" Ninety-one asked.

"Yes," Vincent said, before discreetly pointing the card he was holding towards a large group of men sitting at a round table. Some of them had their coats hanging on the back of their chairs. "Get him to search through their pockets for any card cases."

"Hue doesn't always listen to them," Zero-zero tried. There were nearly a dozen men sitting at that table. If Hue got caught there was no telling what they might do.

"In that case, this will double as an obedience test," Vincent stated before pointedly looking at me to get started.

I looked down at Hue as he tried to drink from my glass of alcohol. Ninety-one had ordered me and himself somethings at random. Whatever it was Hue didn't like it.

"If this doesn't go well, we'll leave right?" I asked.

"Of course," Vincent said airily. His smile was small and brief.

I took out the scratched case from my pocket. It was empty. Its cards were in my case with the others. I set the damaged case in front of Hue. He reached out and tried to pull it closer using his claws.

"I needed you to get more of these for me," I told him as I held the case up for him to investigate. After he looked it over for a bit, I pointed over to the group of men. "Check over there. But I need you to be very careful, okay? Stay quiet and try not to bother those men. Do you understand?"

Hue looked at me with a blank expression. The pupils of his cat eyes were wide to compensate for the dim lighting. I could see my uneasy expression reflected in them. This was not going to work. There was no way a solid white cat was going to go unnoticed in a bar full of people. But this was the only way we could get cards fast enough to save the city and the people in it. If we didn't at least try, this city will end up like Coal Grove and Heita.

I set Hue on the floor and watched as he moved over the floor towards the table of men. He waved around waiters and discolored spots on the floor.

"Don't stare," Vincent said as he pushed some playing cards toward me. "We're going to set cards down in a pile at the center of the table. We'll go in order starting with me. At a random point, I want one of you to take the pile and pull it towards you."

"What's the point of doing all of that?" Zero-zero asked irritability.

"This bar isn't the kind of place people come to enjoy the attention. We'll be seen as suspicious if we just sit around chatting," Vincent explained as he set a card down on the table.

Ninety-one went next and Zero-zero after him. I passed a glance at were I'd last seen Hue heading off to. To my surprise, I couldn't pick his white fur out in the mass of people and poor lighting. With a tiny sense of relief, I set my card on the small pile.

I counted the seconds as we waited for Hue to return. Five. Fifteen. Forty. Two minutes. Three minutes. Time moved too slowly for me to handle. Anxiety was building in my chest. What if he got hurt or stepped on? None of them would hurt a cat, would they? What if I couldn't get to him in time?

"There's no point in working yourself up," Vincent said coldly.

Ignoring him, I looked over the bar. The men at the table were still focusing on each other. None of them seem to be suspicious or bothered by anything.

"He's going to be fine," Ninety-one said assuredly. I said nothing as I placed another card on the pile.

I eyed the people around us. Most of them looked to be playing their own game of cards. Some were only drinking and talking amongst each other. Reaching out, I took the glass of alcohol and took a drunk from it. It was a small one, but enough to get a mouth full of the bitter liquid. It was gross, but I kept my face from twisting in disgust.

Vincent gazed at me with an unreasonable expression but said nothing. I was honestly expecting him to make a comment. Ninety-one, on the other hand, looked ready to say something but was cut off by the scrap of a chair over the floor.

Everyone in the bar was looking at the table at the other end of the bar. He was an older man with a face full of scraggly facial hair. He held a worn-out looking jacket in the air.

"Which one of you greasy bastards stole my cards!" the man bellowed. His voice had a heavy, drunken slur to it. When no one answered him fast enough he slammed his hand on the table. The force was enough to knock glasses over. "Answer me, damn it!"

"No one's moved from their seats since we got here," one of the other men said. His voice was calm, but there was anger laced within it. "You probably just left them at home. Again. Just sit down and quit causing a scene."

"Yeah, you're going to get us kicked out of another bar," a third man said.

"This ain't a damn joke!" the first man shouted. "I'm not getting forced into working for those bastards uptown just so one of you can get a better house to piss your points into!"

"Shit, Ralph, we're supposed to be friends here," another one of the men said.

A fifth man got to his feet. "I'm not dealing with this again."

"You're not going anywhere!" the first man shouted as he grabbed on to the other man.

The first punch echoed through the bar. The bearded man barely staggered before rearing back to hit his companion. The table erupted with chaos as everyone stood. At first, they tried to restrain the two men but they quickly joined into the fight as well. Bottles and glasses were thrown. Men were shoved into tables and other people. Bystanders joined in and the fighting spread.

"What do we do?" Ninety-one asked frantically.

A bottle soared toward our table, crashing into our drinks as it landed. Glass and liquid went flying. Water and alcohol-soaked the poker cards.

‘“We need to leave,” Zero-zero said as he got to his feet.

"Hue!" I called out. I tried to leave the booth but was blocked by Vincent. He grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me back down onto the seat.

"Don't draw attention to yourself," he scolded. Frowning, I tried to pull my hand away but Vincent only tightened his grip. "Sit down. Everything will be fine."

"Let go," Zero-zero spoke. His voice was stern and lined with anger. He stared down at Vincent with a challenging expression.

"There's no reason to cause a scene," Vincent said calmly.

Zero-zero sneered, ready to spit out another remark but was stopped as something white landed on the table. Hue stepped over broken glass as he moved toward me. Gripped in his mouth were three black card cases. He looked to be barely keeping his grip on them. They clattered as he dropped them on the table. Overcome with relief, I pulled Hue into my chest. Hue meowed unhappily but let me hold him.

Vincent quickly snatched up the cases from the table and jumped to his feet. "Alright. Now we can leave."

I slung Hue’s harness over my shoulder and followed Vincent and the others to the exit. We weaved around drunken fighters and other people trying to get out. I kept Hue tucked close to me as we pushed our way out of the bar. Part of me wanted to run once we made it outside, but Vincent insisted on a calm pace.

The sound of fighting could be heard from outside. People walking by gave to building curious glances. No one stopped to investigate. We were several buildings away when we heard glass shattering. Looking back, I saw that a window had been broken. I gazed at the others. Ninety-one looked concerned yet attempted to give me a comforting smile. Vincent looked calm to the point of boredom. Zero-zero's face was twisted in anger. He was glaring at Vincent with burning eyes. Did he blame him?

We eventually stopped in an area that resembled a small park. There were a few people around. They were either walking around or sitting in the grass. We found a wooden picnic table to stop at. I set Hue on the table and quickly strapped him into his harness.

"We are not doing that again," Zero-zero seethed at Vincent.

Vincent had taken a seat at the table and was opening the cases. He regarded the cards with interest as he carefully looked over each one and sorted them by suits. "There is no reason to be upset. We were in no danger."

"Hue was!" Zero-zero shouted. "Who knows what would have happened if he was caught. Those drunk idiots turned on each other in an instant. Who knows what would have happened if they caught him. He may not mean anything to you but he's everything to Sol and you will not put him or us in danger again."

Vincent looked up at Zero-zero with an empty expression before speaking. "You're right. You three have my apologies. Admittedly, I hadn't considered that the people there would become so violent. I underestimated them in that regard. Perhaps choosing such a seedy location was a failure on my part. I will do better when selecting a place next time."

"There will not be a next time," Zero-zero hissed.

"Oscar, I understand your concerns-"

"Clearly you don't," Zero-zero said, cutting him off.

"Hey," Ninety-one said gently while setting a hand on his shoulder. "We're alright."

Zero-zero said nothing as he looked away from us.

"We don't have many options when it comes to getting these cards," Vincent continued as he gathered the gold cards into two piles. One was significantly smaller than the other. "But from now on, I will work on selecting safer places for us and your pet."

Zero-zero took a slow heavy breath. "Are you okay with this, Sol?"

I looked Hue over. He didn't look or act hurt. If anything he seemed more upset about being back in the harness than anything. "I'm willing to try again as long as it is something safe."

Vincent nodded, a pleased smile forming on his face. "Very well. We can rest here while I come up with something."


	7. Chapter 7

We were still sitting at the picnic table while Vincent updated us on the cards we’d gotten. Between the three cases we got from the bar and the one from the boy at the arcade, we ended up with seventeen unique gold cards. With the addition of two duplicates that was a total of nineteen cards that we stole from people. Vincent was happy about the number.

“If we keep going like this, we will have enough cards for each of us to get further into the city,” he remarked contently. “We might even get into the inner city by tomorrow.”

“How many cards do we need?” I asked.

“We will need at least ten cards each for us to pass into the next section of the city,” Vincent explained. “I don’t know how much it takes to get into the innermost part of the city, but four all four of us to gather each type of card we will need at least two hundred of them.”

“What?” Ninety-one said with surprise.

“There is no way we can get that many cards,” Zero-zero said. “We would get caught before then.”

“Yes, however, our only other opinion would be to only get enough cards for two of us to get further into the city,” Vincent said. “If you two are willing to compromise I can take Sol to the inner city. We just to two of us, we’ll save a lot of time-”

“We’re going wherever Sol goes,” Zero-zero said, cutting him off. “No matter what.”

“Very well, the longer method it is then,” Vincent said as he stood from the picnic table. “If you are all ready, we can begin our next attempt to get cards.”

“Sol should hold onto those cards, don’t you think?” Zero-zero said.

Vincent paused before holding out a black case to me. He’d put all of the unique cards into one case and the rest into a different one. He handed me the case with the unique cards inside without a word.

“Where are we going this time?” Ninety-one asked.

Vincent smiled pleasantly. “A movie theater.”

I was surprised. After the bar, I hadn’t expected to go somewhere that would possibly be nice. We didn’t go to an arcade and a small store either, but that was before we were stealing cards from people.

Before arriving at the movie theater, Vincent had me get Hue to turn into a rat. And then he had me rub dirt into his fur to hide the whiteness. When we asked why he said so it would be easier for him to hide in the theater. The realization that we'd be stealing from people while they were trying to enjoy themselves left a bad taste in my mouth.

So after rubbing dirt into Hue’s fur to the point were it turned brown and hiding him in my pocket, we headed off to the nearest theater. We took a bus, the trip taking about an hour. I'd only been to a movie theater once before with Ninety-one. It was housed inside of a mall and not nearly as large as the one we arrived at.

Vincent bought out tickets after looking over the movie posters that lined the outside of the building. He didn't tell us which movie, only that it would be loud and attention-grabbing, ideal for giving Hue cover. To help blend in we got popcorn and drinks from the food counter. I snuck Hue a few pieces as we headed into the theater and took our seats.

Vincent had us sit at the very back so we could see if anyone caught on to what we were doing. I sat between Ninety-one and Zero-zero, with Vincent next to Zero-zero. The theater was packed but there were still a lot of people around. Hardly anyone sat near us. During the opening ads, I explained to Hue what I needed him to do, and sent him off once the lights went dark.

Since Hue was now too small to hold more than one card case, the plan was to have him return to us after getting one. This time around he'd be taking from people's pockets and bags. The chances of getting caught were higher, but Vincent said that since these people weren't drunk and would be concerned about staying quiet, they won't raise too much of a commotion. And Hue being a literal dirt-covered rat, no one would want to try and grab him.

The movies started and the opening credits began to play. The first scene opened with a gunfight at night. Between the flashing lights and the blaring noise, I was confident that someone could drive a car through the theater and no one would notice. I watched the rows of people, looking for any signs of disturbance. But with the ever-changing light, it was hard to spot any changes.

I did my best to relax and keep my mind focused on the movie. I was fairly certain it was about rival gangs getting revenge on each other, but I didn’t know why. Maybe this was a sequel.

I flinched as something jumped into my lap. Looking down, I saw that it was Hue. He dropped a card case in my lab before reaching toward the popcorn bag. Noticing this, Zero-zero pulled it away from him. Hue was still covered in dirt after all. So I grabbed a few pieces out for him and let him eat them out of my hand. Once he had finished his snack, Hue was back to running under the seats.

During a scene that took place outside during the day, I noticed someone moving in the audition. From what I could see, they jumped to their feet, pulling what looked to be a bag up with them. They were looking at the floor, watching something. The person behind them said something and they quickly looked around before sitting back down.

Vincent was right about that too. I've never encountered a large rat before, but I'd like to think I'd be more concerned about one getting into my bag. But I guess I wouldn't want to disrupt everyone else either.

It wasn’t too much longer when Hue crawled into my lap again. He dropped the case and held his tiny hands out for more popcorn. I gave him another small handful. This case was heavily decorated with glued-on rhinestones. The name Venessa was written out elegantly in silver, glittery writing. I didn't look too long at the case before shoving it in my pocket. I tried not to look at where I had seen the person move before. How long would it take them to notice?

As we go further through the movie, Hue brought me more cases. Some of them were also decorated, thankfully most of them weren't. I passed some of them to the other to hide in their pockets since one of mine was full. I needed the other one empty for Hue to hide in.

I was surprised by how well Vincent’s plan was working. If it worked well enough maybe we wouldn't have to do this again. But maybe that was wishful thinking, we needed over two hundred cards in all.

"There’s a rat!" someone shouted. People shushed them. More started to mutter. I could see many of them shifting in their seats.

"I saw it! There it goes," another person screamed as they jumped to their feet.

"I caught it!" someone called out triumphantly. Panic shot through me. What do I do? How would I get him back? I could see their silhouette moving to stand before suddenly flinching. "It bit me!"

The person was now looking over the floor. Hue had thankfully gotten free. The theater erupted with voices as people began to move around. Several people stood from the seats in surprise and panic. A few began to move, heading for the steps near the exit.

"Where'd it go?"

"I'm getting a refund," someone spoke.

As people began to leave the theater, Hue returned to me. He had nothing with him. Hue looked worked up, his dirtied fur fluffed up in anxiety. I carefully rubbed my hand down his back, ignoring the dirt. Thankfully, with so many people trying to leave, no one noticed him.

"We should leave," Zero-zero said, already getting to his feet.

"Good idea," Vincent said while also standing. "We can see if we can get our points back as well."

We left the now half-empty theater. Vincent joined the crowd of people that demanded a refund, while I took Hue into the bathroom to wash him off. The bathroom was large and looped around itself, with a wall of sinks in the middle.

I went to the one at the very end and turned on the faucet. Hue happily let be rinse the dirt from his fur. He even used his tiny rat hands to clean off his face. I used a paper towel to get his grey ears. In a matter of minutes, he was back to his pure white self.

I rejoined the others who were waiting for me away from the crowd of people. The lobby was filled with people complaining about seeing a rat to the people behind the food counter. They were loudly demanding their points back. Some even wanted extra in return for being exposed to a 'diseased animal'. The workers were overwhelmed and confused.

"We might as well leave. I doubt we'll be able to get away with this a second time," Vincent said as he looked over the frustrated crowd. "Although, we could try another theater."

"I think we've stolen today," Zero-zero said. "Besides, we must have enough cards by now."

"You could be right," Vincent said without looking at him. "But it would be best to make sure. Either way, it would be astonishingly lucky if we managed to get everything we needed after only two attempts. We have plenty of time left to try again before we need to return to the bus."

"I don't think we should have Hue do this anymore," Ninety-one said. "We've been fortunate so far, but I didn’t want to risk it a third time."

"Are all of you opposed to continuing?" Vincent asked.

"Yes," Zero-zero said while I nodded.

"Very well. We can wait on the bus for the others," Vincent said. It was obvious that he wasn't happy about the decision but we've made a lot of people unhappy today.

It was a long and quiet walk back to the bus. When we finally got there we handed the stolen cases to Vincent. Hue had managed to get five of them before getting discovered. As I settled into a seat on the bus to relax, I couldn't help but feel that we'd been incredibly lucky to get so many this quickly.

Vincent made it sound like people spent most of their lives trying to collect these cards by gambling for them. Had no one tried stealing them before or was doing that so bad that the idea would never occur to anyone even as an act of desperation? I hoped doing this meant that we really would fix this place.

In the front seat, Vincent shuffling through the cards. If our luck continued, there would be just enough to get into the inner city. Once there, maybe we would do something else to get the cards. I didn't know how to gamble properly, but I'd be more than willing to learn if it meant that we didn't have to steal from people.

Taking my phone from my pocket, I searched for ways to gamble. What showed up were more decided by chance. Horse racing, slot machines, lottery tickets, dice throwing, and anything with cards were some examples, but they were the type of things that Vincent wanted us to avoid doing. The only skill-based method I saw was the game called pool, which I didn't even know the basics off. I guess theft was the only way we could make any significant progress.

It took a while but the others eventually arrived at the bus. They had store shopping carts of packaged food and other supplies. We helped them load everything into the back of the bus while Adrian and Vincent talked about what happened today. In less than an hour, we were back at the Train. We left the supplies on the bus for members from Victoria's group to take and were told to be back in the garage tomorrow after breakfast.


	8. Chapter 8

"So, what was the city like? Was it weird? Opal told me that there are some places that don't even have humans living in them. What did you do? What even trained to do? Did you pass?"

I was nearly done with eating my dinner in the cafeteria when Quince found me. She had a tray with her but hadn't touched any of her food yet. How long had it taken her to find me?

"We mostly played games," I said, deciding to choose an answer that would frustrate her the most. If I had to deal with her, she'd have to deal with me.

"No, you didn't," Quince said, narrowing her eyes and staring at me. I shrugged and went back to eating. Whether she believed me or not wasn't my problem. "I'll just go and ask Vincent then."

"Okay."

Hue took the mostly stale bread roll off of my tray. He was back to being a cat and was sitting on the table. His grey eyes stayed on Quince as he ate.

"Why were you playing games? That seems like a waste of time. Weren't you guys supposed to be trying to get the core and save the city?"

"It was Vincent’s idea," I told her, hoping that she would leave and ask him.

"I will. If it's safe enough that you get to play around all day, then there's no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to go with you," she said arguably. "I can't believe he made me stay here while you got to have fun all day. Did you even do anything important or was it just a vacation for you?"

"Vincent said it was important," I tell her without bothering to look up.

"What did you do specifically?" she asked, clearly irritated.

"Go to an arcade and watch a movie," I answered, not caring if she got upset.

"You're lying. What did you really do?" She asked angrily.

"I already told you."

Quince huffed as she got to her feet. "Whatever. I'll find out either way. I asked Victoria and she said that she'll talk to Vincent about letting me go tomorrow since I need the training too. So I'll know if you're lying."

"Okay," I said as she walked away. I rolled my eyes. Great, she'd be with us tomorrow. Maybe Vincent would tell no again.

I didn't see Quince at breakfast the next morning. I wanted to believe that it was a sign that she would be staying on the Train again, but when I entered the garage, she was standing by the bus. I wasn't sure why she was waiting there. The smug look over her face already told me that she had gotten what she wanted.

"I can't wait to see what kind of games we get to play together," she said as I set on the bus.

Everyone from yesterday is here again, except for Vincent and Ashe. I sat behind the seat that Ninety-one and Zero-zero sat together in. We greeted each other and I sat Hue down next to me. He stretched over his side of the seat as Quince walked to us. She opened her mouth to say something when Hue interrupted her with a hiss. She quietly went to find another seat. I scratched Hue’s head with appreciation. She had the whole trip to bother me, but at least I had the ride there to relax.

Once Ashe and Vincent arrived we were quickly heading back to the city. We parked at the same place we did yesterday. Ashe took Quince to the city hall while the rest of us were told to wait on the bus until they came back. I was sitting with my back to the window and Hue on my lap, chatting with Ninety-one and Zero-zero, when Vincent approached us. He had a backpack with him that I hadn't noticed.

"When we get to the inner city we won't be looking for cards this time," He explained. "The core's energy should be stronger, therefore we'll be using a sphere to gather it. If we're fortunate, it will be able to gather enough without us needing to get into a further section."

"What's the inner city like?" Ninety-one asked. "It isn't dangerous is it?"

"It shouldn't be, but I didn’t know for sure," Vincent said. "But as long as you keep your cards safe, everything should be fine. We won't be gambling, so there isn't a risk of losing them."

"How many areas are there?" Zero-zero asked.

"From what I've heard there could be three to four different districts. Information like that is hard to come by. People at the top tend to stay there."

When Ashe and Quince came back, the rest of us got off the bus, ready to leave. Before we did, Vincent asked to see her cards. We stood around silently as he looked through them, took three out of the cards, and handed the rest inside the case back to Quince.

"Where are we going?" Quince asked. She flashed me a look.

"You will be traveling with Ashe’s group," Vincent said disinterestedly.

"I thought I was getting trained with Sol?" She asked.

"Yes, separately."

"Why?" She asked, almost pouting. "Victoria said-"

"She may have pushed to have you accompany us, but that does not require you to be involved in such an important task. A task that Sol is a key part of. You are not. Following instructions is a key part of being included in our missions. If you are unable to do that, you will remain on the Train." Vincent turned attention to us. "We're leaving now."

Our two groups split and soon enough Vincent led us to a public bus that would take us to where the upper and lower sections of the city were separated. The ride was long, taking nearly two hours with all the stops it took. But even we reached where the next ring of the city met this one.

Unlike the outskirts, there was more than just a simple fence separating the two areas. This time it was a wall of concrete. Sitting at the top were decorative plants. Built into the wall was a building the Vincent led us into. The inside looked similar to the city hall but much smaller. There was barely enough room for a dozen people to stand. There was a desk off to the left and a back door leading out the other side of the building.

"Can I help you?" The older man behind the desk asked. He was leaned back in a chair. He appeared almost irritated that we'd bothered him.

"Isn't this were we need to pass through to get further into the city?" Vincent asked as he approached the desk.

"Yes," the man said as he sat up. "One at a time, each of you need to set all of your gold cards on the counter. I won't touch 'em I just need to make sure they're all different."

Last night after lunch, Vincent had given each of us fifteen cards each to each of us. The man looked them over, nodded, and motioned for another one of us to come up and do the same. While I was having my cards looked over, the other door to the building opened.

A large bald man in a dark red suit stepped through the door. He had a younger man with him, holding him by his upper arm. The taller man all but through the other one into the room before stomping. Grunting the younger man picked himself off the floor, slinked across the room, and left.

“What was that about?” Zero-zero asked.

“Most people don’t take to leaving the upper city,” the man behind the counter said. “Sometimes they have to be forced to leave. Better than being put to work, far as I’m concerned. Got too many people they can just sell their card to get points then just win ‘em back. It doesn't always work like that.”

“We will keep that in mind,” Vincent said passively.

Soon enough the man was done looking over our cards and we were allowed to pass through to the other part of the city. I was struck with surprise at how different this side was. While the outer city looked mostly normal, save for the abundance of billboards, the inner part was filled with elaborate buildings with flashy signs around them. Odd art statues of twisted shapes and bright colors stood at entrances and street corners.

“Where to next?” Zero-zero asked.

“We need to find somewhere to stay for a while so the sphere can gather energy,” Vincent answered.

Displeasure was clear on Zero-zero face. “Do we need to be here for that?”

“Specifically speaking, no, only Sol is seeing as their pet can lead us to where the core’s energy is strongest. But that doesn't matter now,” he said offhandedly, “However, first we need the sphere to gather the energy that lingers around us.”

Somewhere were we will be able to sit for a while would be ideal. I don't know much about this area, so we'll need to see what is available to us first."

Vincent led the way as we wandered through the city. Unlike the outer part of the city, there were less leisurely places around. There were a handful of stores but it was mostly casinos. Eventually, we decided on one that Vincent felt was good enough.

a small one that was almost similar to the arcade from yesterday. 

When we entered the building, we had to wait in a line that led up to where two large men stood. They were dressed in the same dark red suit as the man from before. Like with the older man from the wall, we had to show them our cards before we could continue one. After that was done, we headed into the casino. We passed areas for roulette tables and poker games until we reached a place that was nothing but slot machines.

This place was loud, especially in the slot machine area. The sounds from the machines mixed with blaring sirens from winning spins were deafening. In my arms, Hue hissed angrily at the noise. Regardless, we found a spot where we could all sit together and idly play. The slot machines here had five rows instead of three. They were later than the other ones as well.

We had to keep the cards inserted into the machines as we played. It was more convenient than sliding it in for each spin, and it also displayed the card's amount in the top corner. It made keeping up with how much money I was losing easier too. Whenever I got low enough that I considered stopping playing, I would win a good amount of points back. Like it was designed to keep people playing.

I could see that being fine for people who enjoyed sitting here all day, but wasn't the point of playing was to win points? It wasn't by much but I was still losing the points overall. But points weren't why we were here.

Vincent sat next to me, with his bag under his feet. The zipper was partially open and I could see the translucent sphere inside. A symbol hadn't appeared on it yet. What would this one look like? What will the power be? Something to do with cards, or maybe money? Luck? I could see how having something that made us lucky would be useful. Maybe not with building a home for everyone on the train, but I guess anything would be better than nothing.

Vincent didn't play on his machine as much as the rest of us, instead, he was concerned with checking the sphere at his feet. He'd once said that how quickly the cosmic sphere absorbed the energy around us was dependent on how strong it was. There wasn't a way we could know how long this would take. Days, maybe weeks?

If we could get closer to the core it might go faster. But being near one was dangerous. I could still remember the tree. The memories were crystal clear in my head. I didn’t want to have to go through anything like that again.


	9. Chapter 9

Sitting at the slot machine got boring quickly but Vincent said that we remained where we were. According to him, there was no point in moving around. Zero-zero, Ninety-one, and I didn't have much to talk about and after I while Hue had started to get restless. Eventually, I made up the excuse of needing to use the restroom and left to find one.

I pushed Hue onto my shoulders as I headed across the casino floor. Aside from the different types of slot machines, everything looked pretty much the same. Just rows and rows of people playing on the machines. Hardly anyone looked up from them or spoke to one another. Something about it didn't feel right to me. Maybe it would make more sense if I like gambling.

The room wasn’t too large so if I did happen to get lost, it wouldn't be for long. There was a sign for the bathroom directing in a corner of the building where an emergency exit stood.

Most of the stalls of the bathroom were empty. The tiles on the floor and walls were white, a stark contrast to the colorful main room of the casino. It was thankfully quiet in here as well. I'd gotten so used to the noise outside that muffled noise in here made my ears ring. I set Hue on the counter and leaned against the sink to just enjoy the peace. It felt good to stretch my legs.

How long would Vincent keep us here for? Until the sphere fully gathered the core’s energy around us and the symbol appeared, or would move someplace else either way? If we did move soon, maybe we could pick somewhere quieter or at least more interesting.

Hue was crouched on the counter facing the door, watching it as if he was waiting for something. He let out a low, angry meow. I watched the door but nothing happened. The noises outside hadn't changed. After a few minutes, he looked away from the door, like he'd lost interest. Maybe he just wanted to get back to the others. A bathroom wasn't the best place to linger in anyways.

Taking Hue in my arms, I headed towards the door. The wiggled so that he turned himself outwards, facing. He was making me anxious but I tried to brush it off. Peeking out, I tried to see if anything had changed but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Hue looked around too but didn't seem to be able to find what had upset him.

Deciding to just brush it off, I stepped out of the bathroom to get back to the others. Maybe there was a way I could convince Vincent to let us go somewhere else, at least to another part of the casino if anything.

Unlike any sound that should have come from a cat, Hue growled mere seconds before I was grabbed by my upper arm. The grip was strong enough to be painful. Jarred by what was happening, I could only watch as a person in dark robes stepped into sight. They had that familiar pale, aged skin and worn, empty eyes.

"Un-uniformed skin. White pet. A rare combination in such a place like this. You must be Sol, Correct?" The Overseer spoke in a measured tone. Her voice was light and empty, similar to a decayed leaf. I didn't recognize this Overseer so why did they know me?

Tiny claws dug into my shoulder as Hue tried to climb out of my arms to get at the person holding me. Looking up, I was met with the dead milky eyes of an Enforcer. I couldn't tell if it was looking at me, its gaze was turned off into the distance.

"What are you doing?" I asked, suddenly feeling hands dig through my pockets.

"I should be asking you that," the Overseer said as she pulled my case of cards from my pockets. "This is an Overseer controlled city. You have no place in it."

Did they control this city too? It was nothing like Goldsboro, why didn't they want it? Did Vincent know they were here? No, he couldn't have. He chose to come here because it was supposed to be safe. They must have taken over recently.

"You have a surprising array of cards here. From what I've been told, I sincerely doubt that you have the skill to gather these cards in the means that they were meant to be acquired."

"What do you want with me? Mariah already said that what happened in Goldsboro wasn't my fault," I explained. "I'll leave your city if that's what you want."

"I'm aware of the error of my associates’ mistakes and the amnesty you have from them. However, you are still considered an enemy to us.” She looked over my card case passively. “Our partner has stated that you are one of her group and yet she allows you to run around unsupervised. The other Overseers do not approve of this. They see you as a threat.”

“I’m not,” I told her.

“No, you aren’t. However, even the smallest of children can cause serious problems when left unsupervised for too long.” She began to walk. Without a word, the Enforcer holding me began to follow, dragging me along with it. We were heading to the entrance of the casino.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as I tried to struggle. I kicked at the Enforcer but it didn’t even notice. The people that passed us gave us confused looks but otherwise ignored us. This didn’t even seem slightly concerned. Was this kind of thing normal?

“I have business here that I need to attend to and I can’t have you interrupting that,” she said as we approached the exit. “Fortunately for me, this place has a convent system in place that will keep you under observation.

With me in hand, the Enforcer stood back as the Overseer walked to the front desk. I tried to pull myself from the Enforcer's grasp but it held tight onto my arm.

"Let me go." I tried ordering it. The Overseer saw me as a Colonizer like Mariah, maybe this thing will too.

The Enforcer turned its head towards me, acknowledging that it had heard me, but didn't let go. What now? The Overseer said she wanted me out of the way, but of what? If she was going to try and take over this place too then I needed to warn the others.

Hue was still trying to climb his way up to the Enforcer. I've seen him kill one before, but that was without an Overseer around. I still wasn't sure what they were capable of yet. Risking it might be worse than just getting caught.

Gripping Hue by his harness, I pulled him down so that he was looking at me. "I need you to get Vincent and the others, okay."

Vincent and the others of Recall had dealt with the Overseers before. They might have a way to fight them, or at least come up with a better plan. I let him go to jump to the ground. But instead of running off like I told him to do, he turned and lunged at the Enforcer, clawing at its leg.

"As I told you, this person has been causing trouble for me and other guests." Looking up I saw that the Overseer had returned. Following behind her was one of the men in a dark red suit.

The man leered at me as he spoke. "Is that your cat?"

"Yes," I said, confused.

"Unruly pets are not allowed in the building," he said. "May I see your cards?"

"I don’t have them, they took them from me," I said while pointing to the Overseer.

"I won the cards from them in a bet, but they just can't accept that they lost," the Overseer said with fake exasperation.

"No, you stole them from me!" I protested.

"Such an accusation," the Overseer said while shaking their head.

"Do you have the cards on you or not?" The man asked again.

"No."

Without another word, the man reached down a gripped Hue’s harness, pulling him off the Enforcer's leg. Next, he took hold of my arm and began pulling me towards the entrance. People parted as we moved through the doors. Barely any of them spared a glance towards us.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked. I tried to fight against him, he may have been weaker than the Enforcer but was still stronger than me. I dug in my heels, twisting to try and pull him back towards the casino. “Wait!”

"Enough! " he said harshly as he easily yanked me forward. "Don’t act like you don’t know the law. People who aren’t good enough to keep their cards get put to work."

"They took them from me," I protested.

"You shouldn't have bet in a game you couldn't win."

"I didn't play any game, they stole them from me." Why wasn't he listening?

He took me around the building to the side where a narrow strip of the parking lot was. Sitting there was a lone red van. leaning against the back doors was another man in a red suit. He stared coldly at me as we approached.

The man holding scoffed. "Not even the meanest bastard would do that. Just accept your loss, kid. Not everyone is lucky enough to be meant for a good life."

The van doors were held open long enough for me and Hue to be shoved inside. The doors were quickly slammed shut behind us. The windows were darkly tinted by the red paint. The floor was lined with cheap scratched up carpet.

Hue walked over to me as I sat up. I wanted to be mad at him for not going to get the others but that wouldn't help anything. I turned to look at the doors. There were any handles on the inside. Even if there were, the doors would probably be locked anyway.

There were other people in the van. Some as young as me, others were older. They sat silently against the wall. None of them looked up from the floor. Have they already accepted what was going to happen to them?

There was a rumble as the van started up. I attempted to get to my feet but fell when the van lurched forward. Everything rocked as we were taken from the casino. Where were we going to end up? The outskirts of the city were for people who didn’t have points, so where did those without cards go? The man said I’d be put to work. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad and I’d be able to get out soon.

Sitting back down, I reached into my pocket and I pulled out my cellphone. I tried calling Ninety-one. It rang, but he never picked up. Maybe it was too loud for him to hear it ringing. I tried Zero-zero’s phone next and got the same result. I left him a message summarizing what happened.

I tried to think of what else I could do. The others would know I was gone too long eventually and come looking for me. They might try to call and see my message. Hue stepped into my lap as I sat watching the doors. If they opened again maybe I could escape. No, that one man alone was enough to drag me here. I wouldn't be able to escape two of them. Waiting was really the only thing I was able to do right now.

Glancing back at the other people I saw that one of them, a younger man, was looking at Hue with mild curiosity. I considered trying to talk with him but decided against it. Time passed slowly and with it, my anxiety grew. What if the others wouldn't find me. What if the Overseer and Enforcer went after them?

Frustrated, I kicked the door, startling Hue. Why did the Overseer do this to me? I didn’t even know they were here. If she hadn’t come up to me, I still wouldn’t know. Why were the Overseers like this? Why couldn’t they just leave me alone? I just wanted somewhere safe to live.


	10. Chapter 10

I sat silently, listening to the sound of traffic while keeping my eyes on my phone, waiting. No calls, no messages, nothing. I was getting a signal, but who knows how something like that worked here. The phone was made in Heita, but it worked fine in Bruilmont. Did something happen to Ninety-one and the others? The Overseer said that she just wanted me out of the way, but she could have easily lied. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to them.

The road noises eventually faded and the van rolled to a stop, I checked the phone screen. Wherever I’d been driven too, it had taken over an hour to get there. Outside, I could hear people talking. Though they were muffled, I could hear voices too. There seemed to be only two of them. I doubted I would be able to just run away from them. Not at first at least.

I quickly gathered Hue in my arms as the back doors to the van opened. Bright light to flood inside blocked only two men in red suits standing outside. One was the driver.

“Get out,” one of them said.

Without uttering a word, I and the other passengers speed out of the van. We were hardly given enough time to get our bearing before the newer man ushered us through the metal door to the bricked building. We were led through a service hallway. There were pipes running along the walls and ceiling that reminded me of the ones on the train, though much smaller.

We were herded into a white room and made to line up against the wall near the door. The man went over to a small table that stood off to the side. He picked up a pen and clipboard before moving to stand in front of the person at the end of the line.

"Give me your ID," the man said while holding out his hand. The woman he stood before, quietly reached into her pocket and gave him the ID card.

He silently wrote on the clipboard before handing the card back and moving on to the next person. Everyone around me looked dejected and defeated. They clearly didn't want this to happen to them, but why weren't any of them trying to fight it? Was it like Goldsboro? Would resisting only mean a worse fate?

The thought made me feel sick. I still remember seeing all the blood and bodies of the people the Enforcers punished. All because they did want to work every moment of their lives.

But these people weren't Enforcers. They were just people. People, though difficult enough, were still only people. I could manage this. I just needed time.

Eventually, the man moved down to me. He gazed over Hue before asking for my ID. After writing down what he needed spoke. "Keep that cat out of trouble and we won't have to take it from you."

He didn't wait for me to respond, not that I intended to. I was surprised that they were just going to take Hue away from me. What did they gain from letting me keep him? They had no problem abducting me, why would taking my pet make them hesitant? Maybe the people here just didn't appeal to the concept of taking from another person. Who's to know.

"Stay here," the man said before leaving. He closed the door behind, leaving us alone.

None of the other people around me moved. Looking around, I didn't see any security cameras, not that I thought that stepping away from the wall would cause a problem, but wanted to check anyway. On the far side of the small room were metal shelves lined with cleaning supplies. In a corner sat a few brooms and mop buckets. There appeared to be a number of things missing, but I didn’t know for sure.

I stepped out of the line and moved towards the door. A few of the other people watched me but none of them spoke. I tested the handle to find that it had been left unlocked. I peeked outside. The hallway was empty. There was nothing but the sound of the building's AC and distance music. I pushed Hue onto my shoulders and stepped into the hallway. A few of the people inside were still watching me. One of them, an older man shook his head. If they wanted to stay, fine.

I closed the door and followed the hallway back the way we came. I did my best to stay quiet and move fast. I didn't know how long or far the man had gone. There weren't any hiding places. so if he came back too soon, I'd be caught immediately.

I made it to the doors easy enough, but when I tried to push them open, they were locked. Of course. It would be too easy after all. I considered heading back to the room with the others and just see what would happen, but there was the chance that one of them would speak up. Maybe to see if they could get an easier comparison to whatever punishment we were sent here to reserve.

I looked back down the hallway and saw that the man still hadn't come back. I doubt that we would have gone too far while leaving us unattended. But with the way the others were acting, I couldn't be sure.

Those people acted like how I was back in Goldsboro. Accepting and complacent of my treat, despite how unfair and cruel it was. This was how life was for them. They didn't know anything else, so why question it. There was nothing I could do about it now. But later, once I get the core’s power with Vincent, then they will be helped. At least I hope so.

Hue meowed unhappily as I pulled him back into my arms. I kept a tight hold on him as I rushed down to the other end of the hallway. It wasn’t quiet but it was fast. I was out of breath once I made it to the end where the hall split in two directions. The muffled instrument music was louder.

Were we just taken to another casino? Why? Were going to be forced to work here?

Either way, I decided to head down the right hallway. The music was getting louder. If I could get to the main casino floor, there was a chance I could blend into the crowd and escape.

The hallway curved towards the left as if lining some sort of larger room. I passed several doors that were either locked or labeled as a maintenance room. There were no windows. I had hoped just to find another door that led outside, but it seemed more and more like I was just heading deeper into the building.

The hallway stopped at a dead end. Just before it were two doors. The first was a set of metal double doors that had round windows at the top half of them. Getting closer, I could feel the heat that poured from the cracks under the doors. Peeking through a window, I saw people dressed in white with black aprons, moving around an incredibly large kitchen. Some were manning steaming pots and pans while others were rushing around carrying plates of food.

There were two people standing within the kitchen’s chaos. Both wore a pale red variant of the same uniform everyone else wore. The through clang of the metal kitchenware, I could hear the sound of voices shouting instructions. They sounded harsh and demanding.

Ducking away, I moved to the other door. It was completely smooth and painted black. There wasn’t a handle, but the door hung looseLoud music came from the other side. Like the other doors, there was a window, though this was smaller and a rectangle.

On the other side, I could see a gigantic dining area that was akin to that of a restaurant. Dozens of tables, draped with white table cloths, sat spread out over the large room. The floor was covered in a lush, deep red carpet with golden yellow swirled designs in it. The people sitting at the table were dressed in elegant gowns and expensive-looking suits. It was difficult to see from where I was, but there seemed to be a live band playing.

What was this place? It seemed to be more than just a casino. Whatever this place was, there was no way I could escape out through this way. I wasn’t dressed anything similar to what the staff members or the guests were wearing.

“Hey! Get out of the way, we need to get through!”

I jumped from the shout. I pushed myself from the door and into the corner of the dead-end hallway. Just as a line of four people moved past. All of them were in grey uniforms and carrying large black trays filled with plates of food. All of them looked about my age or younger, and had looks of surprised nervousness about them. They moved past me without a glance and headed out into the dining area.

The door quickly swung close with only the faintest of noise. The servers didn’t care about me at the moment, but they might when they come back. I needed to leave while I was still an afterthought.

I turned to head back down the hallway but stopped when I saw that the kitchen door was still slowly closing. Standing in the doorway, half-turned away from me was one of the people dressed in the light red uniform. This was an older woman that had deep frown lines set on her face. I considered moving but worried that doing so would only catch her attention.

But to my luck, she didn’t notice me and unlike the others, she wasn’t going to just ignore me. The surprise of seeing me was quickly replaced by anger. Seeing her hostility, Hue hissed. As she began to move toward me, I rushed at the black door, hitting it with my shoulder to protect Hue.

"What are you doing here?" The woman demanded, drawing the attention of several people.

With no other options, and eyes already on me, I sprinted across the room. The idle chatter of the dining hall died as people quickly began to notice me. Even the band faltered for a moment.

"Get back here!" the woman shouted. The waiters I passed looked shocked, though none of them moved to stop me. Maybe, I had a chance at this.

Hue was digging his claws into my shoulder, desperately trying to hold on even though I was holding him with both hands. I was sure I was bleeding a little from them. I should have let him turn back into a dragon so he could fly.

"Stop standing around and get them!" The woman screamed. The waiters with empty hands now moved to come after me, though with clumsy hesitation. I wasn't fast but I did have a head start. There were footsteps coming up behind me, but I didn’t bother to look back to see how close they were.

I frantically looked around for an escape. There had to be another way out. There, across the giant room, were several sets of open doors. There were people but they were dressed as guests. As I got closer the hurriedly moved out of my way, not wanting to get involved. The single staff member that stood between and the exit was a small you girl. She looked to be younger than Opal. She timidly tried to block my path. I didn't slow down. If I had to force her out of my way, then I would.

I was caught by the back of my shirt. Their grip wasn't strong enough to stop me but it was enough for the others to catch up. One of the waiters pulled on my arm and elbowed him in the ribs. Three more of them cautiously surrounded me, none of them looking like they wanted to do this.

"Calm down," the one I elbowed said as he backed away from me. "We're not trying to hurt you."

Hue hissed angrily at only of them as he tried to get out of my arms.

"I just want to leave," I told them.

They looked at each other nervously before one of them spoke. "We can't just let you do that."

"You were brought here, right?" Another one said. "If you fight, they'll just make it worse on you."

I looked around at each of them. They all looked scared. Like lost children. But I couldn't let that stop me. I had to get out. Reach to Hue’s back. I unclipped the leash from his harness and let him jump to the floor. The waiters standing in front of us scattered as the angry white cat charged at them, hissing like mad.

I ran behind him as he chased two of them as they ran towards the exit. The guests fled. One furious cat was too frightening for them. Good, less work for us.

Hue had jumped on to one woman's back, sending her to the floor. She screamed fearfully as Hue clawed at her. I pulled him off of here quickly. They were victims in this too after all.

No one else tried to stop me as I reached the exit. I gave myself a moment to feel proud. I knew letting Hue go would make them back off, but I didn’t think they'd completely give up. This was working. Maybe everyone would be too unnerved to stop us. Maybe I'd be back with the others sooner than I thought. I couldn't help but smile to myself. I'd done it.

I dashed out the door and into a large casino floor. I stood at the top of a short flight of steps that overlooked the room. Hundreds of people were moving around the many lines of slot machines and card tables. Huge crystal chandeliers hung on the ceiling, reflecting small lights over everything. This place was spectacular.

"You idiots can't do anything right," the old woman from the kitchen shouted. "You'll all be punished for this!"

Her voice drew the attention of several people outside the restaurant. From different places in the crowd, I saw people in red suits. All of them turned towards the commotion. The moment they saw me they began to move. I stood out too much here, especially with Hue growling in my arms.

I dashed down the steps. People made way for me as I went, clearly confused, and unwilling to get involved. But there were too many of them. I couldn't outrun all of them. But as long as I kept moving, there was still a chance.

I desperately looked for another door. But there were too many people, too many flashing lights, and tall slot machines. I turned into a wider walkway between the machines and began making my way to the edge of the room. And soon came face to face with two people in suits. On a man, the other a woman. Both equally larger than me.

"Stop this. You're causing a scene and disturbing these people," the woman said.

"I'm just trying to leave," I told them.

"You don't get that choice," she scolded. "Your life will be spent here from now on. Working to serve your betters."

"Why?" I shouted.

"What, were you sheltered as a child? This is how society" the man said. "Once you've lost your gold cards, you're done. You had your chance at riches and a better life and failed. Now you have to serve those who didn't."

A chorus of agreement came from the people around us. The sound made Hue growl. It didn't sound like something that would come from a cat. He was getting just as fed up with this as I was.

"What if I don't live here?" I asked. They both scoffed as if the idea was ridiculous. I remember that most places aren't aware of the outside world. "How long would I have to work here?"

"For the rest of your life," the woman answered. A sarcastic smile spread over her face. "Unless you have someone who is willing to just give you gold cards."

"I do."

"What?" The man said.

My phone rang. I tucked Hue under my arm and dug it out of my pocket.

"Sol!" Ninety-one practically screamed into the microphone. "Are you okay? We were looking for you, but we caught sight of an Overseer and had to leave. We’re okay, but we couldn’t find you.”

"Where are they?" I heard Zero-zero ask.

The woman began approaching me. A simplified version would have to work for now. "I got abducted because I lost my gold cards and they won't let me leave without them. They say I can leave if someone gives me theirs."

"That's fine. Where are you?" Ninety-one asked again.

"He said he'd give me some cards," I told the woman. She paused and looked back at her partner.

He shrugged. "If he's willing to, then fine."

"Unbelievable, you are a spoiled rich kid," the woman said while rolling her eyes. "All this trouble for nothing. Fine, we'll wait for them in the office. You've caused enough of a scene."

I ignored the comment and just asked for the building's address. I was tired and wanted to get back to Zero-zero and Ninety-one. They saw the Overseer. Did that mean she saw them too? With her and the Enforcer here, it wasn’t safe anymore. I hoped that meant we could leave.


	11. Chapter 11

The woman did nothing but grumble about 'entitled rich kids' and 'how they'll never learn how to care for themselves' the entire trip out of the casino floor and to their office. It was odd casually walking with these people just minor after they had tried to force me to work here but I'd deal with it if it meant I could leave this place.

The office was a room with a few waiting chairs, a wall of screens that showed security footage with a long desk underneath. The room was cold. Papers were stuck all over the walls of people who were apparently banned from the casino.

"So what part of downtown are you from?" The man in the red suit asked. Who introduced himself as Jonathan.

"I don't know where that is," I said, not looking up from my phone.

Ninety-one was texting me as he and the others made their way here. I'd been taken further into the city's center than they could reach with just their cards alone. So they had to get a special escort. At least it'd be faster than taking a bus.

"We're in downtown," the woman, Irina, said. Her back was towards me as she was watching the security screens.

"The inner city?" Jonathan asked. Was that the district that further or closer to the center?

"I don't live in the city," I told them.

"There's no way you're from the slums," the man remarked.

"Probably from central and doesn't want to admit it," Irina said. "You already called your dad to bail you out. No point in acting proud now."

'Whatever,' I wanted to tell her. But instead, I kept quiet. Ninety-one and the others just crossed over into this direction but it would still take a while for them to get here.

"Do you need anything to drink?" Jonathan asked.

I got that he was trying to be nice, it was too late for that. "No thanks."

"What's your pet's name?" He asked.

"Hue."

"Is he friendly?" The man asked even while Hue was glaring him down from his place on my lap. I had clipped his leash back onto his harness, just in case he tried to attack either of them. No need to make this situation worse.

"Not really," I told him.

"Probably poorly trained," Irina commented.

"He likes me and the people I care about. That's what matters," I said. The room fell into a quiet afterward.

There was a knock at the door. I ignored it as I texted Ninety-one to ask if we would leave the city since an Overseer was here. I could almost hear Quince complaining about how this was my fault. She'd probably say how she wouldn't have let herself be taken. Maybe no one would tell her about this. She'd probably find out eventually.

Hue growled lowly just as someone placed their hand on my head.

"There you are I've been looking all over for you," A voice said cheerfully. Looking up, I was shocked to see Gold of all people standing over me. His golden, glittering hair was pulled back in a ponytail. And he has the same golden makeup on his dark skin as he did when I'd last seen him. The yellow snake, Adonis, was wrapping around his neck as usual.

Behind him, his sister, Silver, stood talking with Jonathan. Her glittering grey hair was pulled into a tight bun. She only had silver lipstick on. Unlike her brother who was completely decked out. Silver had a grey cat, Nyx, laid graceful around her shoulders.

"I heard you caused quite a commotion earlier. You can be such a troublemaker when left on your own," Gold said.

Before I could question why either of them were here, Gold reached down and pulled me up by my hand. He quickly began to usher me towards the door as Silver flashed a large handful of golden cards at Jonathan.

"You had me so worried," Gold said dramatically. "You should really be more careful with your cards. You know how hard they are to get. But I guess that's why you have me."

The door to the office was quickly shut, leaving the three of us alone in the quiet hallway. Gold released my hand only to grab both sides of my face. I was holding Hue, so I couldn't pull him off. Gold smiled brightly at me.

"It's good to see you again, Sol. How have you been? What have you been up to? Did you miss me? Because I missed you. I can't believe mother just made you leave like that. I didn't get a goodbye or anything."

"They aren't a child, brother. Let go," Silver told him. He didn't listen. "Besides, mom said they wanted to leave."

"Absurd," Gold said before nuzzling his head into mine. Adonis took this time to slither around my next. "She just doesn't know how close we are."

"We've only met them a few times. None of which were by their choice," Silver told him. At least one of them was reasonable.

Gold removed his head from mine and toon Hue from my arms. Hue didn't bother to fight. He just looked unhappy as Gold tucked him in his arms.

"See, that's why you won't be the one to mentor them," Gold said. "Anyway, what brings you here, Sol? Did you come looking for me?"

"I didn't know you were here," I told him.

"Told you," Silver said.

"Whatever, what's important is that we're reunited. And I can't think of a better place to do so. There are plenty of things to do here. We can show you around."

"I can't," I said. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh? Who?" Gold asked.

"My family and a friend," I answered.

"Family?"

"The humans," Silver clarified. Why did she say it like that? Weren't they people too?

"Oh, them. You're still with them? You don't need them. You Colonizer like us. You won't learn anything from them. We can show you all sorts of things. Like how to get the gold cards the people here love so much."

"I know how to get them," I said. "An Overseer and her Enforcer stole them from me."

Gold rolled his eyes. "Of course she did."

"Are you trying to take over this place too?" I asked them.

"Trying?" Silver said. "We already have control of the core. Were just waiting for that Overseer to figure out what she wants to do with it."

"Why do you want it?" Gold asked. I didn't answer him.

"Are you going to wreck another city?" Silver commented.

"That wasn't on purpose," I nearly shouted at her.

Silver looked away from me. "I guess that's a sore spot."

"It’s fine," Gold said. "It was an accident. No one important got hurt."

No one who was important to him.

"But if you try this city's core, you'll probably just release a lot of energy again. But," he hung on the word "if you let us train you. You might be able to handle the power. Some of it anyway."

"Why would you help me?" I asked. "Aren't you trying to rule over the city?"

"That's more of an Overseer thing," Silver said.

"Personally, I think the city is perfect the way it is. It's fun and we barely have to do anything just to get to the top. And to be honest, I'm considering taking it from the Overseer anyway. Changing it would be such a waste," Gold said happily. "Besides, once you see how good of a mentor I am and all the fun you'll have, you'll want to stick with us. So there's no downside."

"What if I say no?"

"You could at least think about it first," Gold said pouting.

"What if I try it and don't want to stay with you two?"

"That won't happen," Gold said confidently.

"Just humor them," Silver said. She'd clearly gotten bored of the conversation and was now looking at her phone.

Gold sighed dramatically. "If you really hate it that much, then I guess I can't force you to stay with us if you don't want to."

It would be really helpful to know how to control a core’s power, but I didn’t trust either of them. Even after they essentially betrayed them in Burilmont, they still acted like I was one of them. Like being part of the Colonizers was enviable.

"I still need to meet up with my friends," I told them.

"Come on, I promise I'll be a good teacher," Gold said.

Silver sighed to hide a laugh. "What if they come back tomorrow and give you an answer then?"

"That could work," Gold said. "But only if you take Adonis with you. That way you have to come back."

"I- what? Uh, sure okay." Agreeing was probably a bad idea.

"Great," Gold said cheerfully. "Then that gives me time to tell the Overseer that we're changing our plans.

"And for her to complain about it," Silver remarked.

My phone rang. It was Ninety. I stepped away from Gold and Silver before answering. "Hello?"

"Sol, we're at the casino but one of the staff said that you'd already been let out. They won't let us inside."

"Yeah, something came up. I'll tell you about it later. I'll meet you outside," I told him.

"Is everything okay?" Ninety-one asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be out soon."

"Leaving, already?" Gold asked.

"Yeah, my family's here to get me," I said.

"Need us to walk you out?" Gold offered. I wanted to say no, but I didn’t know where the exit to this place was. So I agreed.

While we walked, Gold chatted about how easy it was for them, Silver, the Overseer, and her Enforcer, to come in and get the core. Apparently, it being located at the center of the city in a factory were the gold cards were made was 'predictable' he could have guessed it in his sleep. He then bragged about how just taking the cards from a few oblivious humans was child's play. When he asked me how I'd gotten my cards, I had to admit that I'd done the same thing as him. He gushed about it the rest of the walk to the entrance.

We'd made it to the casino entrance. It was a grand lobby that had a dazzling chandelier hanging overhead. People in expensive clothing came in and out of the large glass entry doors. Some getting into limousines. I definitely didn't belong in a place like this.

"One more thing," Gold said as he reached into his pocket. "I'm not that great at gamble myself, but I like the practice. So I have a couple of spare decks with me."

He handed me a black card case. Confused, I simply thanked him.

"It's a full deck. That way you can go wherever you want in the city," He said.

It shouldn't have been that easy. The people here spent their entire lives trying to get something like this. Some even end up with nothing only to live in the city outskirts or forced to serve other people. All I had to do was accidentally run into Gold.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked him.

"I didn't, Silver happened to be around when you made that scene in the kitchen and told me about it. Lucky for us."

"You should have Hue turn into something larger than a cat if you're going to let him attack people," Silver suggested. "Maybe a lion, like mother does."

"Or a dog, if you want to be subtle," Gold added.

"I'll keep that in mind," I would because despite who they were. it was good advice. "I have to leave now."

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow, then. Sometime in the morning, so we can have most of the day," Hold said as handed Hue back to me. He shrunk into my arms when Adonis lowered her head down to me. "You be a good girl, Adonis, and do what Sol says. Okay?"

The snake flickered her tongue at him as Gold pet her head. To my surprise. Gold then hugged me.

"We're going to have so much fun tomorrow." The genuine happiness in his voice confused me. We weren't friends. In fact, I didn't like him at all. Not him. Not his sister. Not his mother. Rightfully so, as far as I saw it. But the joy in his voice made me feel guilty for that.

I said goodbye and quickly left. These people couldn't be trusted. If anything, working with the Overseers was proof. No matter what they said or how they acted nothing would change that.

I hadn't realized how dark the inside of the casino was until leaving. The sun was too bright but it was also warm. The heat was comforting. I felt like I needed a nap. Maybe we would go to the Train early and I could sleep for the rest of the day away.

"Sol!"

I looked around at the sound of Zero-zero's voice.

Ninety-one's followed it. They came from up from the sidewalk that came from the driveway. I opened my mouth to greet them but was stopped when Ninety-one pulled me into a hug. It was strong. Even without him saying anything, I could tell how worried he was.

"What happened?" Zero-zero asked. "Why do you have a snake?"

Ninety-one stepped back when he noticed Adonis around my neck. She flicked tongue at him but didn't seem bothered. Hue, however, was squirming to get out of my arms.

"This is Adonis. Gold's familiar," I told them.

"The Colonizer?" Vincent asked as he walked up. He looked around briefly before turning his attention to me. "Where are they?"

"Inside. They want me to come back tomorrow."

"Why?" Ninety-one and Zero-zero said over each other.

"Hold on," Vincent said before I could start. "We'll talk on the bus. Where it's private."


	12. Chapter 12

The people who brought Ninety-one and the others to the casino took us to the exit of the district. From there we took several buses until we made it back to the bus. During that time they updated me on what happened to them.

They never came in contact with the Overseer or her Enforcer, only saw her. Vincent told them they had to move to stay out of sight. According to him, Recall and the Overseers had a pretty violent history with one another. If she saw him, she'd have the Enforcer kill him. Mostly likely Ninety-one and Zero-zero too. She was apparently looking for something inside the casino and took a while for her to leave. The staff asked her to do so because she was scaring people.

Once we made it to the bus, I told them my side of things. Ninety-one and Zero-zero looked worried throughout all of it. Vincent's expression was hard to read.

"They want to try and take you away again?" Ninety-one said.

"Gold said that wouldn't make me," I said.

"Do you believe that?" Zero-zero asked.

"No. Maybe a little. He seemed sincere," I said.

"People can be surprisingly good liars," Vincent said calmly. "However, with his snake here, the choice to return tomorrow has already been made."

"We could just leave it somewhere and go anyway," Zero-zero said, glaring at Adonis. She was still wrapped around my neck and was looking out the window.

The idea crossed my mind too. "She can transform like Hue. She could just follow us."

"Why is she around your neck?" Ninety-one asked.

I shrugged, which drew Adonis's attention to me. "I think she likes it. She does the same with Gold."

"I don't like it," Zero-zero said.

"I think this is a good opportunity to learn from them," Vincent said, changing the subject. "They don't need the spheres to control the cores the same way we and the Overseers do. Knowing how to get around that would be invaluable."

"That's too risky," Zach argued. "They could easily try to take Sol. If they get out of the city. There'd be nothing we can do."

"We can't do anything inside the city," Ninety-one said.

"And what about the Overseer. I doubt she'll just let Sol be," Zach added.

"Gold said that he'd tell her to change her plans," I told them. "He likes the way the city is now."

"I wouldn't trust anything he says," Ninety-one said.

"But he seems to have trust in Sol," Vincent said. "I believe we should use that."

"It’s a bad idea," Zero-zero pressed.

"I agree," Ninety-one said.

"What do you think Sol?" Vincent asked.

Learning how to control a core would be helpful, even if I wasn't sure about Gold. "He made me take Adonis so I'd have to come back tomorrow anyway. I might as well give it a shot. For one day at least."

"Then it's decided," Vincent said. Zero-zero looked like he wanted to argue but kept quiet. "I've called Ashe and the others back here early. With an Overseer walking around, we can't take any chances."

Thirty minutes later Ashe’s group showed up. I got strange looks from them as they noticed Adonis around my neck. Especially from Quince. When everything was loaded up she sat in the seat behind me. She didn't say anything during the drive but I knew the questions were coming.

I told Ninety-one and Zero-zero that I was going to rest for a while and we agreed to see each other later. I could hear Quince's footsteps as she followed me.

"Why do you have a snake? Is it the same one that man had in Burilmont? It looks like it," she asked. I ignored her. "We got called back to the bus early. I bet you knew why. What did you do?"

I stopped walking. The hallways were empty so we might as well talk here. "What do you want from me?"

"What? I don't want anything from you."

I turned to face her. "Then why do you keep bothering me? You clearly don't like me. Every day is the same thing. You accuse me of doing something or you throw me around on the mats like I did something to you. What do you want?"

"Nothing," she said defensively.

"Then leave me alone," I said.

"Look, I'm not trying to start anything with you. I just want to talk." I said nothing in response. "Okay, so maybe I haven't been the best. But that doesn't mean we can't still talk."

"Why would I want to?" I asked.

"So we can be friends." I hadn't seen that coming, but today was full of surprises. "Most of the people are twice our age and don't talk much. There's Opal but she's basically a kid. Without me, who else do you have to talk with?"

"Oscar, Nickolas, and Clay," I answered. "Sometimes Opal too."

Quince was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was low. "Well, I didn't have that many people to talk with."

I was too tired from today to have a lot of sympathy for her. Especially not if her excuse for being on my case was loneliness. Was doing that every day really her way of trying to make friends? "A lot has happened today and I need to lay down."

"You can tell me about it. It might help," She offered. Her voice sounded earnest.

"Maybe later," I said before leaving.

In my room, I set Hue on the floor and took his harness off him. I tossed it on the trunk and pulled Adonis from my neck. I kept her in my arms as I kicked off my shoes and laid down. I closed my eyes. Today was too much.

Today was too much, but at least it was mostly over. That also meant tomorrow was all the closer. Why did I have to run into that Overseer? Vincent’s plan was working. We'd gotten a lot of cards and were getting energy for the sphere. All of that was worthless now. Maybe Zero-zero was right. Maybe we should just leave. Simply abandoning Adonis someplace felt wrong. But taking her with us meant that Gold and Silver would just come looking for her.

This was the fifth place that something had gone wrong at. Whether it was the Overseers or Gold and his family, or a core tries to kill us. Would it always be like this? Coming across a new place only to be chased out by some sort of danger.

I didn't stay in my room long. Sitting still was just making me anxious. I got to my feet as I set Adonis on the bed. Seeing me moving towards the door, Hue followed me. After turning into a similar oversized cat as Hue, Adonis came as well. I didn't care enough to stop them, so I let the white and yellow cats come with me. The floors of the walkways were too hot for them to walk, so Hue sat on my shoulders while I carried Adonis in my arms.

I went towards the back of the train, where Adrian had taken me a few days ago. It took me a while but I managed to find the door. After crossing the bridge, I had made it to the other train car. Since it was much cooler in here I set the cats on the floor. Neither of them seemed too happy about having to walk on their own.

I'd only been here once when I was being led around, so it took me quite a while to find my way around. Luckily, there weren't as many hallways in this car like mine. Eventually, I found the garden. The humid, yet cool air felt nice. And the quiet was refreshing.

"Clay?" I called out, over the rows of potted plants. My voice echoed softly in the air. "Honey Bun?"

The sound of distant barking echoed back. It was followed by a voice that was too distant to makeup, but was definitely Clay’s. Quince was right, talking about today might be a good idea. Just not with her.

Soon enough the familiar brown and tan dog came bounding from the plants, with Clay following not far behind. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that had dirt and small pieces of leaves on them.

"Hey there," he called happily. I smiled as I approached him. Leaving Honey Bun to sniff at Hue and Adonis. "What brings you to my side of the train?"

"I just got back and wanted some company," I told him. "I'm not interrupting you from anything, am I?"

"Not at all," he said. "I'm just doing a bit of watering and pruning. But I could use a break. Come on, let's go sit down for a while."

He whistled for Honey Bun and she quickly took the lead as we headed towards the back of the garden. He took me to a spot in the corner of the giant room were a couple of tables and chairs were set up. There were a few other people there who were sitting around chatting. We sat a good bit away from them.

"So how was your outing today?" Clay asked.

"It went okay," I said, shrugging. "We kind of ran into an issue, but it's fine now."

"What kind of issue? Did anyone get hurt?" He asked.

"No. Nothing like that. We just- I ran into some people who don't like Recall. I have to meet with one of them tomorrow."

"By yourself?" He asked, voice filled with worry.

"Yeah." I gestured towards Adonis who had jumped up on the table with Hue. Neither of them were keen on Honey Bun's attempts to get them to play with her. Poor thing must have been lonely being the only animal around. "She belongs to one of those people. They made me take her to make sure I came back."

"Oh," He said quietly. "How dangerous are these people?"

"It depends. You know how Vincent needs the sphere to control the core's power? Well, they can do it without one. And they want to train me to do it too."

"And that's a bad thing?" Clay asked.

"We left Burilmont because they were going to take me away to do the same thing. They've agreed not to force me to go this time, but we don't know if we can trust them."

"We as in-?"

"Nicholas, Oscar, and me. Vincent thinks it's worth a shot."

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I think it's too late to decide. I have Adonis, that's her name, so I have to go back regardless. They seemed like they were going to keep their word, but I'm scared of what will happen if they don't," I admitted. "I don't think they'll hurt me. But they don't care about other people. They treat them like toys that they can break as they please. It bothers me."

"Have you told Nicholas about how you're feeling? Or Oscar?" I shook my head. "Are you going to tell them?"

"It will only worry them," I said.

"With good reason," he said gently. "If you don't want to go tomorrow, then don't. What's the worst these people can do if you don't show up?"

"I don't know and that's the dangerous part. None of us know what these people are capable of. They say I'm like them because I can control the cores like they can. I'm not completely sure, but I think I might be able to. I tried it once, back in Burilmont, and caused a lot of destruction. So I can only imagine what they are capable of doing." I stared at the table feeling empty and lost. Talking about it hadn't helped. "I don't want to be like them."

"Then you won't be. No matter what they do or say, they can't make you into something you don't want to be," Clay said. "If you really have to go with them tomorrow, make it clear to them that you don't want to be one of them. If they try to take you, unleash hell in them. Do whatever you need to make them change their minds. They let you go once because you fought back, do it again."

"I- okay," I said, feeling more confident about tomorrow. "I'll do that."

"Good. I'm sure that whatever happens, you'll make it through. You're tougher than you think."

"Thanks," I said, not quite believing him. "What about you? How are things here?"

Clay and I talked for a while before he had to get back to work. I wasn't ready to go back just yet, so I stayed around to help him out. He showed me around his section on the garden and the plants he'd grown since we joined Recall. Working with Clay was peaceful. Maybe Vincent would let me do it instead of my regular cleaning duty.


	13. Chapter 13

The papers on the walls of the cafeteria were gone. Vincent had canceled any more trips into the city. It hadn't been announced to everyone else, but only five of us were going back tomorrow. Me, Ninety-one, Zero-zero, Vincent, and Ashe.

At dinner, I sat with Zero-zero and Ninety-one. It was the first time we'd eaten together on the Train in a while. We'd found a place by a wall where it was less crowded. Ninety-one wanted us to meet there the next morning for breakfast to see if it would normally stay empty. It would be nice to have a spot where we could always find each other.

I told them that I went to see Clay. I didn't see what we talked about, only that I had helped him in the garden.

"When we get time, we should see him too," Ninety-one said to Zero-zero. "He must be lonely by himself over there. Maybe we could get to work with him."

"Anything would be better than cleaning," Zero-zero remarked.

The next morning, as I was headed back to my room after a shower, I spotted Quince in the hallway. Opal was with her. The two of them were chatting.

"Good morning," Quince greeted. It was the first.

"Hey," Opal said excitedly. "I heard that you're one of the few who are going back into the city today."

I glanced at Quince. "I didn't tell her. People talk. Word gets around."

"Did something happen?" Opal asked.

"There's an Overseer in the city," I answered. Her face quickly changed from excitement to worry. "Does that mean they've taken the city?"

"In a way, yes," I told them.

"Those guys are dangerous, right?" Quince said. "Why are you going back?"

"Vincent has a way to get the core despite the Overseer," I said.

"How? Those crystal ball things don't work if someone already has the core's power," Opal asked. I only shrugged.

"Do you need any help?" Quince asked.

I couldn't tell if it was a genuine offer or if she just wanted to tag along to be part of what was happening. Either way, there was nothing she could do.

"Vincent's already decided who he wants there," I said. "Anyway, I have to get going."

Before I could leave Opal stepped in front of me. "Wait, one more question."

"Okay," I said, hesitantly.

"I heard you brought back a snake. Can I see it?" She asked excitedly. I was reminded of how much younger she was than me.

"I don't think I'm allowed to do that," I lied. I wasn't sure how Adonis would react to her. "Besides, she'll be gone soon anyway."

"Why?" Opal asked, almost whining. I wasn't sure which part she was asking about.

"Vincent said so."

"Oh, okay," Opal said. Accepting the excuse. I wished that would work on Quince.

I quickly excused myself and continued to my room. I set my toothbrush and toothpaste in my trunk, before gathering Adonis and Hue. When I opened the door to my room, Quince was waiting outside. She was alone now.

"I'm not trying to be pushy," she said quickly. "I just want to know what's going on."

"I already told you," I said while stepping into the hall and closing the door.

"Really, because yesterday you had a yellow snake with you, now you have a yellow cat," she said. She followed as I headed to the cafeteria. "Is it like Hue? Can it turn into a dragon too?"

"It doesn't matter," I said, regretting not having Adonis turn into a snake. There was a chance that she might not have listened to me. Hue doesn't most of the time.

"Are those Colonizer people in the city too? Is that why we had to leave early and can't go back today?" I didn't answer. "Just tell me if I'm right."

"What are you going to do if you are?" I nearly shouted. I looked back at her. She opened her mouth to speak but said nothing. I took the chance to leave. She didn't follow me.

Breakfast was quiet, not that there was much I wanted to talk about anyway. Before I knew it, it was time to board the bus. I sat with Ninety-one during the ride. The only ones that spoke were Vincent and Ashe as they talked about what they would do. There weren't enough gold cards for everyone to get into the inner city.

Vincent's plan was to have Ashe park as close to the entrance as possible while Ninety-one, Zero-zero, and Vincent stayed near the entrance to the next section of the city. From there I was on my own. I wasn't sure what the plan was if something went wrong, but thanks to Clay, I had some confidence that everything would end up okay.

Getting that confidence to last, however, would be hard. From reaching the first wall that separated the city to riding a bus to the next one, my nerves only got worse. This felt just like Burilmont. The same hopelessness and fear weighed down on me. I hated this.

Ninety-one and Zero-zero wished me luck before I went into the building that led to the inner city. Hue was in my arms, and Adonis on my shoulders. The woman at the desk didn't even acknowledge them as she asked for my cards. Her tired expression changed to utter shock when she opened the case. She barely shuffled through them before quickly handing them back and letting me leave.

It wasn’t until I was outside the building that I realized I didn't know how to find the casino again. I hadn't been paying attention to the way back yesterday. Good, that meant I could waste time looking for it.

"Sol!" a voice shouted. Looking to my right, Were a small parking lot sat, there was a sleek black car. Standing outside of it was Gold. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I approached him.

"Hello," I said.

"Are you excited about today? I am. We're going to have so much fun. Is there anything you want to do first?" Gold said quickly. The energy in his voice was startling.

"I don't know what there is to do here," I told him.

"Well," he pulled Adonis off my shoulders and tucked her into his arms. She purred at him. "Have you eaten breakfast already?"

"Yes?"

"Was it a large one?"

None of the meals at Recall were large. "No."

"Great," he said cheerfully. "Then we can have brunch."

"I don't know what that is," I told him.

"Then this is a great time to learn," Gold said. He set Adonis back on my shoulders before opening the passenger door to the car.

He ushered me into the black leather seats. In there was a sleek grey cat that meowed when she saw me. Adonis jump down to sit next to Nyx as I settled into the seat. I put Hue next to them and put the seatbelt on.

"Good morning," Silver said from the front passenger seat.

"Good morning," I said back.

Gold got into the driver's seat and we were soon off through the city. Hue crawled into my lap to get away from the other familiars, but they quickly joined him. It had to put my arms around the three cats to keep them from falling out of my lap.

There was a sound of a camera clicking. Looking up, I saw that Silver had her phone pointed at me. She showed the picture to Gold.

"Aww. That's too precious," Gold cooed as if I were a child. Looking back at me, Silver smiled. It was a kind and gentle smile. I kept my eyes out the window for the rest of the trip.

Gold took us to a restaurant that was two stories tall. It was a cozy little place with light yellow walls and miss-matched pastel cushioned chairs. The bottom floor was more of a shop. Glass displays cases and all. The second floor was where dining was held. We sat on a small secluded patio in the back that overlooked a nice little park with a large pond.

I was surprised that such a place existed in the inner city. It was such a stark contrast to the casinos I've seen. I guess even rich people liked places like this.

Looking over the menu, the café had a special one just for brunch, I noticed the prices. For a place that mostly sold pastries and breakfast meals, it was expensive. At least compared to the fast-food I've been eating in the outer city.

Three thousand points for a basic omelette was way overpriced. If this is just what a simple meal cost, I wasn't sure about how the rest of the day would be like.

"Are eggs expensive here?" I asked out loud. I didn't look up as Gold and Silver chuck.

"Just order what you want," Silver said. I could hear the amusement in her voice. "Money isn't something you need to worry about."

"We'll take good care of you," Gold said. "Anything you want, it's yours."

I ordered an omelette and pancake combo. It came with orange juice. Gold ordered quiche, I read over the menu instead of asking what that was, with french toast and coffee. Silver got spinach toast with sunny side egg, sausage, and a fruit bowl. They ordered three small bowls of sausages for the cats.

The three of them sat on the ground. Adonis and Nyx were near the railing watching people as they walked around the park. Hue sat on my foot. At least we were both uncomfortable about being here.

“Alright Sol, what do you know about the core runes?” Gold asked.

“Are those the ones that appear on the cosmic spheres?” I asked.

Gold looked confused. Silver clarified for me. “Those glass balls that the Overseers used to use the core’s power.”

“Oh, yes, those things. I forgot they had to use them. Anyway, You must have some. You've used the energy from cores at least twice. Something like that doesn't just go away even if you don’t use it or know how to," Gold said. He waved down a waiter and got a pen from them. He handed it and a napkin to me. "You've must have come across the runes before. They appear when you use a core’s specific ability."

I wanted to tell them that Hue had been the one to use the cores’ power. It wouldn’t be a lie, since I wasn’t sure if I was using the energy back in Coal Grove. Instead, I kept quiet and drew the symbol for Bruilmont’s core.

“Do you know what that rune does?” Gold asked. I shook my head. “Each rune has the ability to release the power that corresponds with it. For example, this one has the ability to create doorways to the red and blue planes. Writing down a rune is a short-cut way of using the power for those of us who haven’t completely mastered it yet.”

Reaching over, Gold tapped a finger on the symbol. On contact and tiny white runes sparked out from his hand. It quickly faded as the napkin turned completely red. Gold stuck his hand through it, then mentioned for me to do the same. I did. Feeling around I felt the bottom of the table. It was odd.

“This one would work better against a wall or something just as large, but it’ll do as a demonstration.” Gold said as I took my hand out of the hole. He waved his hand over the napkin and it quickly returned to normal. “Now you give it a try.”

I touched the symbol just like Gold did, but nothing happened.

“You need to concentrate on what you’re doing,” Silver said.

“Try to feel the energy in your hand,” Gold added while wiggling his well-manicured fingers at me.

Vincent said something similar to me in Coal Grove. That meant using the symbols was the same as the spheres. I guess that made things easier. I focused on the symbol, mentally drawing the energy from it. I recalled what this power was like, how it could open a doorway to different realities that people and things could cross through. And the destruction that caused when I released it on Burilmont.

When I touched the symbol. Like with Gold, a tiny, barely visible rune briefly appeared near my finger as the napkin turned blue. I put my hands in my lap. They were shaking.

“Good job,” Gold praised.

Goldsboro, Bruillmont, Coal Grove. Every time I interacted with core’s power things went horribly wrong. If I let them teach me how to use the power, would it help or only get worse?

“Are you okay,” Silver asked.

“Yeah, just nervous,” I lied.

“Don’t be. You were made to do this,” Gold said as he waved his hand over the napkin again, returning it to normal. He picked it up and ripped it, destroying the symbol. “When you’re done using a rune make sure you destroy it in some way, or the energy will leak out. Leave two or more out for too long and they can mix together. There’s no telling what could happen if they do.”

Taking the pen from me, Gold drew another symbol on a napkin. He set it in front of me. This one was three diamonds. A large one at the center with town smaller ones on either side of it.

“That is the rune for this city,” Gold said. “Can you guess what it does?”

I looked it over but it just looked like a group of shapes. “I don’t know.”

“It has something to do with the nature of the city,” Silver said, giving me a hint.

“Luck?” I guessed. “Money?”

“Good guess but no,” Gold said. “This place has a very specific power. Do you have those cards that I gave to you yesterday?”

Taking out the black case, I handed it to Gold. I hadn’t given them any thought, much less looked at them since he gave them to me. Gold opened the case and spread seven of the cards over the table. He held a hand out over them. Tiny white runes appeared around his hand as the cards began to rise off of the table.

“This rune allows us to levitate cards. Specifically poker cards,” Gold said. “It isn’t spectacular by any means, but there are ways it could be useful. And it makes a perfect starting point.”

Reaching out with his other hand, he motioned for me to hold out mine. I held it next to Gold’s, My fingertips tingled as some of the tiny runes floated over from his hand to mine. Then slowly, he pulled his hand away, leaving one of the cards hovering over mine.

“See, you’re a natural,” Gold said proudly. “You’ll do well as one of us.“


	14. Chapter 14

After brunch, we headed back to the same casino from yesterday. It also doubled as a hotel and resort. Gold had a valet park the car while we went inside. It was just as lively as it was last time. I could hear the noise from the casino floor even as we walked in the opposite direction of it. We got into an elevator that was solid glass on the back, allowing us to look over the lobby as we headed up.

"What do the Colonizers do?" I asked them.

"Colonize," both Gold and Silver said together.

"That's a compliment answer," Gold said. "and it's not something we would be able to clearly explain everything."

"Okay," I said. They'd been open about everything else so far, why was this an issue? Were the Colonizers doing something worse than the Overseers?

"You wouldn't happen to know how to swim, would you?" Gold asked.

"No," I said, curious about the change in subject.

"We'll stay in the shallow end," was all Gold said on the subject until we arrived at the hotel room. He opened the door and allowed me to walk in first.

The room was more like an apartment. It had the main area with lounge chairs as a large TV that was mounted on the wall. There was a small kitchen off to the left that had a bar attached to it. There were two doors that opened up to separate rooms. At the back, there was a large patio door. Outside of it was a giant patio that had a table set on it along with a pool.

"Nice isn't it," Gold said proudly. "I have some clothes you can borrow if you want to get in the pool."

"Um, maybe later," I said. I wasn't keen on getting my first swimming lessons from him.

"Well. let's sit outside anyway. It's a nice day and we'll be inside most of the night," Gold said, opening the patio door.

Night? "I thought I was leaving in the afternoon."

"But this place is at its peak at night, you don't want to miss that," he said as he pulled me out to the patio with him. "What's the harm in spending the night here?"

"I'm expected back before then," I explained. Gold led me over to the outside furniture and sat me at the stained glass table. It was under a canopy that was covered in green vine plants.

“What kind of drink would you like?” Gold asked.

“I- uh, water,”

Gold chuckled and shook his head. “No, dear. An alcoholic drink. Nevermind, I’ll surprise you.”

I was left alone outside with Hue in my arms. I took the harness off of him and let him walk around on the floor. I took my phone out and texted Ninety-one that Gold wanted me to stay with him through the night. He and Zero-zero wouldn't be happy about it. I wasn't either, but nothing was set yet.

There was a splash. I looked up to see Hue, he was a dragon again, swimming in the pool. While he swam, Adonis laid down at the edge to watch him. Nyx came to sit in the shade with me.

"He's very fond of water," I heard Silver say. Her glittering hair was pulled back and she wore a grey one-piece swimsuit.

"Hue used to be a fish," I said as she made her way to the water. She only nodded in response.

Silver used the submerged steps to get into the pool. Hue watched Silver carefully as she swam up to him. She chuckled as he moved away from her. "He’s not a friendly one, is he?"

"He's cautious around strangers," I told her. It was partially true. He was only a little okay with being around Ninety-one and Zero-zero.

"Like you." I had nothing to say to that.

My phone buzzed. Ninety-one had texted me back. He didn't like the idea of me staying with Gold and Silver for so long. He mentioned that Vincent didn't either. That made me worry. Vincent had wanted me to do this, why was he hesitant now?

I texted back if anything had happened to them. Ninety-one's response was quick. They were only waiting around. I told him about what we had done so far. Going into detail about the runes and how they worked. Several minutes passed before I got a response. It was from Vincent. They would find a hotel for the night and I'd come back to them in the morning.

"Miss your friends already?" Silver asked. She was leaning against the side of the pool, watching me passively.

"I was just telling them that I'll be staying with you tonight," I said.

She smiled. "I appreciate that you're giving us a chance despite what happened last time we were together. Even if you choose not to stay with us this time, it means a lot to my brother."

I didn't tell her that I wasn't given much of a choice. Or that I didn't want to go with them at all. Today or any other day. Why did they act like me leaving with them was an inevitability?

"I made you something fruity and sweet," Gold announced as he walked outside. He set three tall glasses of what looked to be pink and yellow slushies on the table. Each one had a large straw in it. He eagerly pushed one of the glasses towards me. "Try it."

The drink tasted like pineapples and strawberries. The sweetness of it overshadowed the tint of alcohol in it. Drinking it should be fine if there's only a little alcohol in it. I can't get drunk from just that. "It’s good."

"I'm glad you like it." He sat down beside me. "I've got one for you too."

Silver nodded but returned to swimming. There was a soft thud as Gold dropped a notepad on the table in front of me.

"So, what other runes do you know of?" Gold asked before sipping his drink. "As your mentor, I need to know what you know before I teach you what I know."

He handed me a pen. It was the same one from the restaurant. I thought he was supposed to give that back, but I guess it didn't matter now. It wasn’t like stealing a pen is the worst thing I know he's done. I drew out the rune that I saw in Goldsboro.

"Do you know what that one does?" he asked.

I grimaced as I remembered the chaos in Goldsboro. "A lot."

"Well, you have me curious," Gold said. I sat back and drank the slushie as he reached out and touched the rune. Nothing happened. "Odd. Are you sure this was it?"

I only nodded. The rune was only seven circles. It wasn’t complicated. I was halfway through my drink by now. Whatever Gold had made, it was good. It was a shame I wouldn't be able to have it after today.

"Well, I've never interacted with the core’s energy before, so I suppose I can't use the rune. There's always a chance something like this would happen. More so if the power is especially strong or unique," he turned his gaze to me. "I'd love to see what it does."

I touched the rune, my thoughts feeling light as I considered asking Gold for the recipe. I doubt we had the supplies to make it on the train. My attention snapped back to reality as four tiny bright red fish appeared out from the rune. Also from the paper popped out as scatter of blue leaves, yellow pebbles that hovered over the tabletop, a puffed of dense purple air that hung over the table, shards of green crystals, and a puddle of orange water that soaked the paper as it dripped onto the floor.

"Oh, wow, that is an odd one," Gold remarked. He watched the fish as the few around our heads. "Were was this from?"

"Goldsboro," I said.

I picked up one of the leaves. It was so small and innocent looking compared to the massive trees that had ripped through the city months ago. They alone had halted life in Goldsboro. Then there were the yellow rocks that lifted the city into the air. The river that tore through the city skies. There had been so much destroyed back then. The little scattering of things around now were less than harmless.

"How do I make it go away?" I asked.

Gold gave me a curious look before answering. "Reach your hand out and pull the power you put into the rune, back out."

I took another drink. Pushing the pebbles out of the way, I touched the wet paper. Tiny white runes appeared out of it and moved over my hand. I watched as they moved into my skin and disappeared. Everything that had come from the rune faded, leaving only a dry misshapen paper. I tore it in two, destroying the drawing.

"I like that one," Gold said, smiling. "Do you know any others?"

"Only one more," I said, remembering the square symbol from the tree in Coal Grove. "but I didn’t like that one."

Gold pushed the notepad over to me. "Show me what it looks like."

I shook my head. I had been forced to see exactly what that power did. That one night had been enough.

"It’s alright to be cautious of powers you cannot understand, but learn about them so they can't hurt you when you use them," Gold said gently.

"I've seen what it can do. "It turns things into wood. That's all."

Gold was quiet for a moment before sitting back in the seat. "If you don't want to use that one, it's fine. There's still plenty more you can learn. Besides this one and the rune with the circles, is there one you'd like to practice?"

"This city's core would probably be the best," Silver said as she sat on the other side of me. She was wrapped in a towel that I hadn't noticed her get. "That way you both can draw from its energy. A good starting point, in my opinion."

Gold nodded. "Okay. Sol, would you be alright with that?"

"Yeah, okay." What harm could floating around a few cards cause?

"Excellent," Gold said as he pulled out a case of cards. "This time I want you to try levitating one without the rune."

He handed me a card. It was a three of diamonds. I thought back on how it felt to use the power back at the cafe. I tried to focus the energy into my palm, where the card sat. However, this time the card didn’t move. I couldn’t feel anything. No small runes, nothing. I looked at Gold. He didn’t look surprised.

“It’s a lot harder now, isn’t it? They may not seem like much but the runes make a big difference when you're starting out. They're perfect for getting a feel for how the ability works and what it feels like to use them, but don’t rely solely on them. Eventually learning how to do it on command is what you should work for.” Reaching over he took the empty glass from my hand. “I’m going to get you another one. Just try not to drink this one as fast. We have all day to enjoy ourselves.”

While gold headed back inside, I turned the card over in my hand. The numbers and symbols gleamed in the light, the rest of it having only a slight shimmer. “What is the core’s power just to float poker cards?”

“There’s no telling what core’s power could be or how it changes the area around it,” Silver answered. “You haven’t been out in the world for long, but as you see more of it, you’ll understand that it is full of strange things. Most of it is dangerous. Learning how to control a core’s power will help prepare you for anything you come across.”

“Then I should be learning something better than just being able to move cards,” I said realizing that maybe Bruilmont or Goldsboro’s cores would be better. Maybe be even Coal Grove’s.

“Maybe,” Silver said, leaning back in the seat. “But this is a good place to figure out how to learn to control the power. Who knows, you might find a creative way to make it useful.”


	15. Chapter 15

"Sold for two thousand points to bidder number eighty-seven!" The auctioneer shouted into the microphone. The sound echoed in the small auditorium.

Two workers in red entered the stage. They approached the large table that stood in the middle. On it sat a large cardboard box that had just been purchased. The box was sealed with tape. Its contents were a mystery. For two thousand points maybe there was someone good in there. Maybe it was just trash. As the first worker left, the second one placed a new box on the table. This one was slightly smaller. The contents were just as unknown.

The auctioneer stood behind a wooden podium on the side of the stage, where he began to shout for bids. "We're starting at three hundred points! Do I have three-fifty?"

I sat with Gold and Silver on a balcony that overlooked the auditorium. The cats in our respective laps. We were alone up here, watching the people as they offered more and more points for things they didn't know about.

"Why are they doing this?" I asked.

"The mystery excites them," Silver answered. "They are hoping to find something good that would otherwise be expensive elsewhere. Or to find something they didn't know they wanted."

How could someone want someone without knowing what it is? "What kind of things are inside the boxes?"

"Clothes, jewelry, gold cards, trinkets, things like that," Gold said.

"Why pay for something you may not want?" I asked. The next box had been sold for a thousand and three hundred points. The next box that was placed on the stage was even larger than the first.

"Gambling can be addictive for some people," Gold said. "The power of the core makes it worse for them."

The core was able to affect anything within its energy range. structures, nature, and even how people think. It was why people rarely ever questioned what was happening around them even if it hurt them. The only exceptions were like in Goldsboro and Heita when things changed drastically very quickly.

"What would happen to them if the core’s power got out of control?" I asked. Would people try to gamble more? Would only the gold cards be affected? How would the buildings change?

"An excellent question," Gold praised. "There are ways to find out without completely releasing the core's power. However, it is a difficult thing to do without extensive training in that specific power. Some like mother or another senior Colonizer would be able to do something like that with minimal training."

"I can probably do it," Silver said smugly. I regretted my question.

"It’s difficult if you aren't a prodigy," Gold said, half-heartedly rolling his eyes.

Silver hummed mockingly as she held her hands together. Light began to emanate from between her hands. She slowly pulled them away, revealing the three-diamonded rune. It grew as Silver pulled her hands further, as did the whips of light that surrounded them.

I rubbed my arms as a tingling feeling moved over them. The air in the room changed. It could feel the energy filling the auditorium. The people below us got louder as they frantically offered more and more points for the cardboard box.

Two thousand.

Two thousand five hundred.

Three thousand

Four thousand.

Seven thousand.

People were on their feet, shouting at the auctioneer, who was speaking rapidly. I couldn't understand what we were saying as it got faster and faster. Some of the guests were moving up to the stage, pushed against each other to be heard. Everything was in chaos.

Next to me, Silver was grinning. Gold was equally amused. What did they find entertaining about this? Making these people do this was cruel.

Silver grunted tiredly as she dropped her hands. The light and the rune vanished as the energy in the room quickly faded. The noise of the auditorium died as people returned to their senses. Everyone returned to their seats as the auction returned to normal.

"Great, now I have a headache," Silver complained. She rubbed the space between her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat.

"That's what happens when you show off," Gold mocked.

I quietly pet Hue. They, or at least just Silver, could make the core’s effect on people worse. All for the fun of watching it make them go crazy. Were all Colonizers like this? Would Gold and Silver try to make me like that too? Or would I end up like them by nature?

"I cannot believe that you two are actually bothering with this," A woman's voice said.

The three of us looked back to see the Overseer from yesterday coming down the stairs toward us. Her worn face was pulled into a deep frown. Standing behind her at the top of the stairs was the Enforcer. It watched us impassively.

"What do you want," Gold asked, boredly.

"They have no intention of joining us, you must realize that," the Overseer said as she stood over us.

"Sol is still deciding," Silver said.

The Overseer huffed. "You are being used. All you are doing is training our enemy. I doubt both of you are too blind to see this. So why are you allowing it to happen?"

"Sol is not our enemy," Gold said dismissively. "Yours maybe, but that's not our problem."

"We have an agreement," the Overseer said, raising her voice. Though her tone did not change. "You are jeopardizing our goal by teaching them anything. They made their choice already. I know it, they know it, why don't you."

"Sol is still young. They have plenty of time to change their mind," Silver said.

"And in that time they will set us back even further," the Overseer argued. "They have done it enough times already. What have you taught them?"

"That's none of your concern," Gold said.

"It is when you are risking both our missions." She turns to me. "What side are you on?"

Gold got to his feet and Silver muttered under her breath. Gold was a full head taller than the Overseer and looked down at her as if she were a rat gnawing at his shoes.

"What we do and what Sol does is not your concern. As for your 'mission'. It is only possible thanks to us. So if we decide that we want to take over a few places here and there to have some fun we will. If we decide we want to train someone, we will. Not only do you not have a say in it otherwise, but you also can't stop us."

"The Overseers will not stand by while you teach some overgrown child how to fight against us," she seethed. "Our agreement is with your mother. Under her orders, you are to work with us so that we may both complete our goals."

"You are a convenience, not a necessity," Gold said.

"They will only betray you," the Overseer said.

"Colonizers don't betray each other, it isn't our nature," Gold said.

"Why not ask them?" The Overseer said. She turned her attention to me. "What are your goals?"

Should I lie? If I did, will Gold and Silver make me stay with them? If I don't would they get upset? "I want somewhere safe to live with my family."

"Were do these two if into that?" She asked.

"I don't know," I lied.

She huffed. "I haven't met many Colonizers in my time, but you are by far the oddest. You don't have the same drive or goals as the others. I honestly doubt you are what they say you are."

"Our mother says that Sol is one of us, so they are," Silver said. "Any doubts you have will be taken up with her."

"If you had the choice, what would you do with this city's core? How would you bend the city to your will?" She asked, ignoring Silver.

"I wouldn't," I told her. "I'd rather have the people not be affected by the core at all."

She looked at Gold. "That doesn't sound like something a Colonizer would say."

"You've only met a small amount of us, what do you know about how our people are," Gold argued.

The Overseer shook her head. "This is like arguing with children. You cannot do this without thinking about the consequences."

"We can and will do what we please," Gold hissed at her. His attention snapped to Adonis who was sitting where Gold had sat. "Seal all of the core’s power."

"No!" the Overseer shouted. Adonis stood as her eyes began to glow white. A similar light surrounded her body, small runes mixed within it. "You have no right to do that. We were promised this land."

"You were guaranteed nothing!" Gold shouted.

"Our agreement guarantees me respect and a right to this core," she said back. "This is the second time one of your people has breached that. If this is how you all act, your control over the cores won't last long."

"Is that a threat?" Gold asked, warningly.

"An observation," the Overseer said calmly.

"You are a spoiled, impudent child."

"And you are a weak old hag dependent on my family's power," Gold shot back.

Silver tapped my arm and motioned from me to move to the other side of the row of seats. She followed behind with Adonis in her arms. The yellow cat was still glowing. Her mouth was held open as if she were screaming, but she didn't look to be in pain. Within her mouth, a tiny white ball was forming. Tiny runes floated around it.

"Is she okay," I asked.

"She'll be fine," Silver said calmly, setting Adonis on the floor. "We just need to give her a minute."

"Can you get her to stop?"

Silver looked me over. "Yes, but my brother will get upset. He can be unreasonable when he's angry."

"Sorry," I muttered. Was she upset with me now?

"It's not entirely your fault," she said, leaning against the balcony railing. "He inherited our mother's anger. It will take a while but he’ll get tired of dealing with her soon enough.”

I silently nodded. The Overseer was walking back up the steps. Gold was behind her. They were still arguing. It was odd seeing him upset.

“She does have a point,” Silver said. “As excited as my brother is about having you with us today, teaching you how to use the core power with the chance you can go off on your own isn’t wise.”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone,” I said quickly before realizing that doing so wouldn’t be something they were concerned about.

“I meant that it’s unsafe for you,” She said with a kind smile. “But that doesn't mean that we can’t have fun for today. And when you leave tomorrow, make sure to be safe when handling magic you’re unfamiliar with.”

There was a soft tap against my leg, followed by a muffled meow. Looking down, we saw that Adonis was pawing at me. In her mouth, she was holding something grey. She dropped it at my feet. Bending down, I set Hue on the floor and picked up Adonis and the object. It was a flat stone with the rune for the city engraved onto one side.

"Is that the core?" I asked. After hearing as much as I had about them, I hadn't expected a core to look like a simple stone. I looked to Silver, confused and a little underwhelmed.

"You seemed surprised," Silver said amused. "What did you think it would be?"

Not a rock. "I didn't have anything in mind."

“You’ve never heard of a rune stone have you?” She asked with a smile. I shook my head. “Put it in your pocket for now. We’ll find you something to keep it in later on.”

I turned the stone over in my hand. The entirety of the city’s core and it’s power was in this rock. It was even a large rock, about the size of a poker chip just not as round. The stone was smooth and under my fingers. The carved symbol looked neat and perfect. I supposed anything formed by magic, or whatever Adonis had done, would be. I never would have that that a core would end up being a rock. It was too regular of an object. But it was what it was.


	16. Chapter 16

The Overseer and her Enforcer were gone. However, her and Gold's argument had ended, neither were happy. Gold was quiet when Silver suggested we do sometimes else.

With left the balcony, exiting through a hallway that led out into the main hallway. Since it was mainly for the staff, it was clear of any people. The walls were bare but it had the same plush red carpeting that the rest of the casino had. With Adonis on my shoulders and Hue in my arms, I followed the siblings

“What are you three standing around for? Clean that up and get back to work.”

We passed a branching hallway. In it was a large man in a dark red suit, a bouncer. He stood, towering over three other workers. The bouncer looked upset, but the others looked furious. At their feet were several cardboard boxes and an overturned metal cart. An assortment of items were spread over the floor.

“No. We’re going home,” one of the workers, a man, said back. “Were done being your-”

Without warning the bouncer grabbed by the front of the man’s shirt and hit him. I stopped walking, shocked and afraid, as the bouncer prepared to strike him again. The other two workers, a man and a woman, tackled the bouncer to the ground. Both of them began breathing the bounce, one punching the other kicking him. Once the third one recovered, he joined in too.

“Come on, Sol.”

I looked at Silver, who was standing next to me. Neither she nor Gold seemed bothered by what was happening. I was reminded about how little they cared for people that weren't like them. I continued walking regardless. There wasn't anything I could do anyway. What would I even do if I could?

Would this be happening all over now? Was that bad? People wouldn't let themselves be forced to work here just because they made a bad call on a bet. But people fighting each other wasn't a good thing. Maybe not everyone would fight, some would just go home. Did the workers still have homes to go back to?

I could hear sounds long before we reached it. We stood on the upper floor at a banister that overlooked one of the main slot machine rooms. It was chaos. People in red uniforms were rioting. Slot machines were being smashed in with metal stools. Poker tables were over, throwing leaving cards and chips scattered across the floor. The few guests that weren't fleeing from the destruction, stood around watching in fear and shock.

"Without the core’s influence, people aren't going to allow themselves to be taken advantage of anymore. Let the humans sort themselves out," Gold explained. He sounded uninterested.

"Let's sit at a table and watch," Silver suggests, Gold already heading in that direction.

We sat at a round table near the banister. It was near a bar that Silver headed towards after leaving Nyx with Gold and me. Compared to everything else the bar had been left mostly untouched. There were a few tipped stools and broken bottles and glasses, but that was it.

Our spot over everything gave us a good view of the chaos. There were only a handful of bouncers and staff members that were trying to get everything under control. But they were greatly outnumbered. As soon as they attempted to intervene, the violence was turned on them. People hit and threw each other to the floor. Shouts of pain and anger muddled with the music of the casino.

I looked away from it all. I wanted the people here to be free of the core’s power. But if this was the result, was it any better?

"It will work itself out," Silver said, setting a glass of ice and brown soda in front of me. She had returned with three glasses. I set Adonis and Hue on the floor and picked up the glass. It was just soda, thankfully. I was still feeling the effects of the last drink.

"Is this the right way to do it?" I asked. not expecting an answer. Not one I wanted at least.

"If you were forced to work your entire life away just because they weren't lucky one time, you'd have some anger too," Gold said. "Didn't you kill that man that forced people in your city to work nonstop?"

"Hue did it when he was trying to kill me," I said. This wasn't like Goldsboro. Thankfully, Gold dropped the subject.

"I wonder what we are going to do now?" He asked. "Now that there's no one working we'll have to change plans."

"We can still have lunch at the buffet," Silver said casually. "They'll be fewer people."

It was odd, idly sitting by as all this happened and listening to them discussing what to do. All of this was just an inconvenience to them. We're their lives always like this? Did they regularly just passively go with whatever was happening around them even if people were getting hurt? I couldn't imagine getting used to this.

Eventually, once everything was destroyed and anyone who had tried to stop them had given up, the former workers moved on to somewhere else. Within that time, I had considered messaging Ninety-one to tell him and the others what was happening but decided against it. It would only make him worry. Going through the city might be dangerous right now. Hopefully, it will calm down by tomorrow morning.

We ate at the abandoned buffet for lunch. It was unsurprisingly just as destroyed as the rest of the casino. There was still plenty of food left out. And since they sat on automatic heaters, everything was still warm. I'd only been to a buffet one other time back in Burilmont. The food there wasn't bad but it was nothing compared to the food here. This one had fancy foods that I'd only seen in proper restaurants. There were different kinds of pasta, seafood, barbeque, and other types that I didn’t know the name of. It was the best meal I'd ever eaten.

Next, we went back to the hotel section of the casino. There were still people here. They were mostly guests who were frantically trying to get out. Many had bags and suitcases that were too large for them to carry. The three of us kept near the walls, away from were people were pushing against one another.

"This is a bit of an overreaction," Silver commented. She looked over the crowd with annoyance.

We went back up to their hotel room, where we watched the disorder spread over the city. People filled the streets. Some were looting. Breaking through windows of the many pawn shops in the area. However, most were walking through the streets, traffic stopped. They appeared to be walking towards the center of the city.

“Where are they going?” I asked out loud. I was sitting in a plastic chair near the railing of the balcony with Nyx in my lap. She purred quietly as I pet her with one hand. In my other, I held the runestone and was turning it over, trying to get used to having it.

“The city’s center, if I had to guess,” Gold said from his spot across the small table from me. “That’s were the richest people in the city live. Where the gold cards are made by people forced to work. Where the most expensive casinos are and where the worse jobs those forced into work are. The roots of the worst parts of the city start there.”

“What are they going to do there?”

Gold shrugged. “Who knows. Anyway, why don’t you try out the runestone?”

I gazed at the rock in my hand. The entire core’s power was in such a simple thing, “How does it work?”

“It’ll be easy. They work just like the drawings, but far more powerful. So, start slow,” Silver said. She sat on the opposite side of the table from me. I pulled the case of cards from my pocket. I took out a few and set them on the table in front of me. “Keep the stone in your hand. It won’t work otherwise.”

I took a breath, gripped the stone, and concentrated on levitating the cards. I held my hand above them and they lifted off of the table easily. Too easily. I turned my attention to the rest of the cards in the case. I barely had to think about it and they floated up just as easily. Their golden surface sparkled in the sunlight as I willed the card to move around in the air. With just the slight motion of my hand I could get them to turn and spin anyway I wanted them to.

“Much easier isn’t it?” Gold said smiling. “Ideally this is how our people are meant to be manipulating the rune’s power. However, it does make it so others aren’t able to use it either. It’s polite to let others have a chance to get it too,”

Was that what they did, go around collecting different core powers just for the fun if it? What was the purpose of working with the Enforcers?

I put the cards back in the case and set the stone on top of it. I'd had enough of core magic and everything involved with it. How long had Vincent and the rest at Recall been searching for a way to get this stone? Here it was handed to me for no other reason other than Gold making a rash decision just to spite the Overseer. I hated this.

"So what do you think?" Gold asked. "This place didn't have much to offer-"

"Especially after you broke everything," Silver cut in playful.

"But," Gold continued, "who knows what we might come across while traveling around. So, what do you say? Would you like to stay with us from now on?"

"Gold-" Silver started. She already knew my answer.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said.

"Why not?" Gold asked, hurt lining his voice. "Maybe today wasn't as fun as I wanted it to be, but it isn't over yet. And we will find somewhere you'll like too."

I stared at the table. "I don't think I can get used to doing this. It's- difficult for me to explain, but I can't."

The air around us was silent. Gold sat back in his chair, quiet. I didn't look up, instead, keeping my eyes on the runestone. He'd probably want it back. That was fine. It wasn’t like I wanted it.

"You're not happy with us are you?" Gold asked, clearly hurt.

I hesitated before answering. "You're the reason I had to leave my second home. You work with the Overseers who took me away from my first one and who have been trying to hurt me and my family. That's a hard thing to ignore"

"But you aren't like them. You're one of us," he tried.

"I don't know anything about you," I told him. "When we first met you were having two people shoot each other because you thought it was fun."

"Yes, but they were just humans," he said as if that was a good reason.

I glanced out over the balcony at the disorder of the city. There was smoke rising in the distance. There were still plenty of people in the streets. Some looked like they had come all the way from the city outskirts. People here didn't deserve to be treated like toys.

Gold took a breath. I looked up at him, expecting him to be angry, but instead, he had a calm expression. "I get why mother let you go now. You're still young. Still lost on who you are. But that's okay. You go out there and find yourself. And when you're ready, we'll be here to take you in."

This wasn't something I was going to change my mind about, but a least he was upset. I suppose this was the best I could get.

"Do you want to leave now?" Gold asked carefully.

"No, I'm fine with waiting until tomorrow." He looked relieved to hear that.

The rest of the day was spent inside the casino. We stayed in the resort section, using the private theater, bowling alley, pool room, and doing other activities. There were still a handful of people who hung around, but they kept to themselves, enjoying themselves quietly just as we were.

Without us focusing on core magic or runes, the rest of the day wasn’t too bad. We used a restaurant’s abandoned kitchen to cook ourselves dinner and ended the day watching movies in the hotel room. Ninety-one and Zero-zero would have enjoyed spending the day like this.

The next morning, after cooking breakfast in the hotel room, Gold and Silver said they’d drive me to where Zero-zero and the others would pick me up. After message Ninety-one that I would be at the city hall.

The drive there was quiet. Trash and debris from looting covered the streets. There were some people out trying to clean the mess. There were others who walked by, ignoring it all. Things had definitely calmed down since last night. Pawn shops append to have gotten the worst of it. Those were the buildings that were just broken into but burned as well. I could only imagine what the city center looked like.

Thankfully, the outer sections of the city were less destroyed. The city hall only had its doors smashed in and had papers scatter around the entrance. There was a bench outside of the building where I could wait to be picked up. When Gold parked the car, I was surprised that he and Silver got out to tell me goodbye.

“I’m going to miss you know,” Gold said as he pulled me into a tight hug. “Oh, Give me your phone. I want to put out numbers in, just in case you need us for anything.”

“Okay.” I handed it to him and Silver hugged me next.

“Take care of yourself out there,” she told me gently.

“I will.”

“Do you want us to wait with you?” Gold asked, handing the phone back.

I didn’t have any objections to it personally. “You’ll probably make my friends nervous.”

“We’re not that scary are we?” Gold asked jokingly.

I chose not to answer. “I had fun yesterday.”

“I’m glad,” Gold said smiling. “Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything. Or even if you just want to talk.”

I agreed. We said our last round of goodbyes and within a few minutes, they were gone. They were heading back into the middle of the city. I went to the bench outside city hall and sat with my backpack next to me and Hue on my lap. I messaged Ninety-one that I was there and just waited.

The city was quieter than when I first arrived. There weren’t as many flashing sighs. There weren’t as many people around either. I couldn’t help but feel sad and lonely sitting there. We’d come here so I could learn how to use a core’s power. Now I know less than before. How was I going to explain what happened yesterday to everyone?


End file.
